Star Wars: Shadow of the Past Full Novel (Starfire Trilogy 2 of 3)
by Chronicler 177
Summary: A dark shadow looms over Arluin Starfire and his allies, threatening to consume them all. Arluin has gone into hiding, endlessly hunted by his traitor sister Reina and the malevolent Admiral Merik. As new events propel the Starfire twins further down the road to their destiny and the secrets behind their past come unveiled, the Jedi Order will either rise... or fall.
1. Act 1 (Chapters 1-4)

Star Wars

Shadow of the Past

By Jacob Whittington

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><p>A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…<p>

STAR WARS

SHADOW OF THE PAST

The Galactic Civil War rages throughout the galaxy. The Empire's new war machine, the Devastator, is nearing completion. When finished, this powerful battle station will rain destruction on the fleets of the Rebel Alliance.

Following the betrayal of Reina Starfire, the Rebellion has scattered to the far reaches of the galaxy in fear of an Imperial counterattack.

Imperial intelligence has followed a lead on hiding Rebels to the distant city-world of Nar Shaddaa. Enforcing a blockade of the planet, the Empire hopes to trap and capture any Rebels who wish to find solace there…

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><p>1<p>

Space.

One definition of the word is emptiness. A continuous area or expanse that is free, available, or unoccupied. Such a meaning perfectly describes the unending nothingness that makes up what is Outer Space, the region of existence beyond friendly skies and homely doors. Yet, the emptiness is also completely indefinable. One cannot touch it, study it, tell a friend how space feels, because it is pure Nothing. It is the absence of everything and only exists where everything does not. At the same time, however, space is defined by everything in it. The vast emptiness is the container of all that is, and everything exists and moves in it. Everything is connected through space, and therefore everything is connected by nothing. The billions upon billions of individuals that live, thrive, and die on the uncountable worlds dispersed in space can claim all they want that they are disconnected from one another, but in fact they are irrevocably tied to each other. For their home is shared by all, and all must coexist within space, or chaos reigns supreme, and the home burns down around its residents.

The Galactic Civil War has done nothing to support coexistence in the galaxy. It has set the universe afire with combat as entire planets are destroyed and whole populations are wiped out. In other corners of the galaxy, slavery thrives and racism is found in abundance. At its very core, the home of all is corrupt and slowly rotting from within, as conflict rips and tears it apart from without. The shining jewel that once stood for peace, fairness and justice for all has become a mockery of what it once was. Still it gleams, but the light emitted from it is sickly and meaningless, save to those who bask in it. These many men and women are images of the center itself, as cruelty, malice, and an unsatisfied want for domination turn what once were good people into shadows of their former selves.

Far and away from the galactic center, another once-was jewel occupies a tiny portion of the vast dark. Nar Shaddaa, a famous trade hub and pleasure world, has existed as a cesspit and hideaway for the darkest and slimiest beings in the galaxy for thousands of years. Orbiting the crimelord world of Nal Hutta, the moon has attracted all sorts of life from across the galaxy. Although covered in a sprawling city that was built from centuries of prosperity and luxury, the illusion of well-being is easily cast away once one looks deep enough. Pirates, gangs, and killers take refuge deep below the city-world's towering skyscrapers and thrive in the deep mess of crime and misfortune that plagues the entire planet. Such has been the way of Nar Shaddaa for as long as any alive can remember, and such it will be until the last bit of life on the gray moon has been snuffed out.

The Empire, however, was not interested in the various scum and villainy of Nar Shaddaa. The blockade of dozens of Star Destroyers, wedge-like ships as gray as the world they surrounded, was not established to prevent mobsters and thieves from coming to or leaving the world. No, the Empire was searching endlessly for members of its hated enemy, the Rebel Alliance. Though the Rebels had gone into hiding after their defeat at Ord Ibanna, the Empire had not stopped pursuing them to the ends of the universe in an attempt to squash the revolution under its heel, putting an end to it forever. A vast network of Imperial intelligence had picked up information that some members of the Alliance might have made their way to the ruining city-planet, and the Emperor was quick to act on such knowledge. The blockade was hastily thrown together and sent to Nar Shaddaa, ensuring that no Rebel who might possibly be in hiding there could leave the planet.

However, after the initial excitement of setting up the blockade, not much had happened at Nar Shaddaa, because the Empire was doing just that—nothing. Or, rather, they were waiting. A very important person was coming to oversee the blockade, and until that person arrived, all the Imperials could do was wait. Finally, they knew their wait was over when another Star Destroyer, identical to its sisters surrounding the tiny gray orb, shot into the system and began drifting towards the planet.

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><p>As the <em>Imperator<em> exited hyperspace near Nar Shaddaa, the Star Destroyer's captain issued commands to fly closer to the blockade. As the knifelike ship neared the planet, a lone, pitch-black starfighter dropped out of its hangar bay and turned to face the other Star Destroyers. A single thruster on the rear of the extremely tiny fighter ignited bright green, and the ship shot at incredible speed toward the blockade.

Receiving confirmation that the starfighter was away, the _Imperator's_ captain ordered the massive cruiser to leave the system. The Star Destroyer's job of ferrying the much smaller ship to Nar Shaddaa had been completed, and it was permitted to leave.

The small fighter with the bright green thruster almost blended into the blackness of the void. The speed it was traveling at should have been impossible for a ship of its size—the craft consisted of a ball cockpit, two side-mounted solar panels that jutted out like fangs, and the single ion engine that propelled it through the nothingness. It was completely and utterly dwarfed by the size of the Star Destroyers that made up the blockade it was advancing on. As the tiny craft came closer, its pilot slowed and initiated contact with the blockade commander. Transmitting the necessary codes, the starfighter asked to be admitted to the planet's surface. After receiving and double-checking the codes, the blockade commander granted the fighter access. The pilot gunned it again and sped into Nar Shaddaa's atmosphere, descending to the maze of stalagmitic structures.

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><p>Despite the Imperial blockade, night life went on at Nar Shaddaa. Above the pits of the criminal underworld, speeders drove about the sky lanes, refugees and shopkeepers struggled to make a living, and thousands of types of droids went around performing maintenance and other such tasks. Very few took notice of the small black starfighter as it entered the flow of daily business, and if they did, they paid it no more thought—either because they didn't know what significance the tiny ship, or they recognized it as an Imperial ship on a mission and wisely chose to stay away. A sense of urgency surrounded the dark fighter as it sailed through the night. Flying between numerous skyscrapers and high rises, various neon signs and spotlights reflected off its stark black paint. The clawlike appearance of its solar panels made it appear to be some fanged bat or bug gliding through the darkness, searching for prey. But the intention of the craft's pilot was not deadly, not tonight—there was a very important and very specific reason the pilot had come all the way out here, and at the moment there was no need for killing. Not yet.<p>

At last, the small ship reached its destination. Just ahead, a massive disturbance upset the order of Nar Shaddaa's existence. Light from both artificial and natural sources fell under the shadow of a giant. Speeders veered out of the way of the monster as it hovered over the city. Mechanical, gigantic, and cold as death, a sign of Imperial dominance made its way above the structures and sky lanes, asserting its rule over the lesser life forms.

Above the city, Star Destroyer _Executioner_ loomed like a death threat.

Approaching the massive Destroyer, the starfighter arced up and began heading toward the larger ship's hangar bay. The _Executioner_ looked slightly larger than normal Star Destroyers and sported two massive bulb-like protrusions on each side, displaying its role as an interdictor ship. Interdictors were designed to pull enemy ships out of hyperspace and rob them of the ability to run away using powerful gravity wells, but it was no machine or tool that brought the starfighter toward it—just a single, imperative purpose. The massiveness of the _Executioner_ quickly swallowed up the fighter until anyone watching could only identify the smaller ship as a black spec against the gigantic wedge of gray.

Slowing down again, the starfighter drifted into the _Executioner's _bay and descended, floating less than an inch above the deck. A full compliment of white-armored Imperial Stormtroopers was already there to greet the ship's pilot. An officer dressed in dark gray and black stepped forward, looking expectantly at the new arrival, waiting for the pilot to exit. The officer was a younger man with light-brown hair and a face that was lined a bit more than it should have been at his age. This man was Captain Forer and he was quite proud to have been recently put in charge of the _Executioner._ However, his pride was somewhat squelched by nervousness relating to the new arrival. If the pilot of that starfighter was who he thought it was, then a very dark power had just entered his ship.

The hatch of the SIE fighter opened with a hiss. A slim figure fully clothed in a black flight suit and helmet hoisted itself out of the cockpit and jumped to the deck. Forer's nervousness increased. The pilot's body was unmistakably feminine, as the leather flight suit was very form-fitting, revealing evidence of agility and power mixed with a dark beauty. A silver tube hung from her belt—some sort of weapon, Forer guessed. The pilot reached up and removed her helmet. Long dark brown hair cascaded down her back and framed her pale complexion. Forer noticed that her face was both soft and strong, and quite easy to look at. Deep green eyes stood out shockingly against the contrasting paleness of her skin and the blackness of her suit, and Forer found himself making eye contact with a woman who was both beautiful and terrible at the same time, and the event only drove his nervousness to unknown depths. There was no question about who his guest was. She was known as the Shield of the Empire, but normally she went by her birth name.

Reina Starfire tucked her helmet under one arm and advanced towards the Captain with purpose. Before he could speak, she held up one hand toward him.

"No need for pleasantries, Captain. I'm not here to play games."

Her voice was music to Forer's ears and yet sent chills down his spine. He had not met many Imperial women in his ten years of service, but he was sure he would never meet one like this ever again. He did his best to steady his voice and address his superior.

"Yes, Lady Reina. We are all prepared for the task you have placed before us."

She nodded and continued past him without saying anything. Forer rapidly turned and rushed to keep up with her as she made her way out of the hangar.

"Forgive me, my Lady, but is there any word from the Admiral? We have not heard from him for some time."

Reina did not grace the Captain with a look. "I'm sure you are aware that he is busy overseeing the construction of the Devastator. After all, that is the reason you are currently in command of this Star Destroyer, is it not?"

"Of course, my Lady," Forer replied. "I just wondered if there had been any change of plans—"

"There has not. Why would there be?" Reina finally stopped and stared at Forer. The gaze rooted him to the spot. "Everything is going as planned. The Rebellion has scattered and our superweapon's completion is at hand."

Forer gulped. He recalled that rumors stated this woman had saved the Devastator from destruction by turning on her own brother. If she was willing to do that, then she would certainly be ruthless enough to kill him on the spot if he bothered her too much. It was also said that Reina was an acolyte of the Force, similar to the legendary Lord Vader. If that was true, there were many, many ways he could die a painful death at her hands. Keeping those facts in mind, Forer promised himself to choose his words more carefully.

"I meant no disrespect, Lady Reina. I have the utmost trust in you, the Admiral, and the Emperor."

She did not move save to speak. "Then you will follow the orders I give to the letter and you will _not muck them up._ Are we clear?"

For emphasis, she patted the metallic tube on her belt. Forer eyed it nervously, now certain that it was indeed a weapon. "Very clear, my Lady."

She continued to stare almost unblinkingly. "I'm glad we understand each other. Get the search parties ready."

"They are ready, my Lady. They await only your order to depart."

"Consider the order given."

Forer nodded. "We will find them for you, Lady Reina."

"You had better." There was no threat in Reina's voice, but there was some emotion Forer could not quite decipher. "If my brother is here, then he must be located. I have some unfinished business to settle between us."

Forer bowed. He had known from the start who the blockade was set up to trap, and he was very grateful he was not in the place of the other. "The enemy will be ours in a few short days, my Lady."

Reina blinked. "Yes. The enemy." She was silent for a moment. "Carry on, Captain." Abruptly she broke the gaze, turned, and began walking briskly down the corridor away from him. Forer stared after her. He could have sworn in those last few seconds he had seen something in those green eyes of hers—had it been fear?

The Captain shook his head and started to make his way towards the assembled troops. It was not his place to wonder about such things—best leave them to the higher-ups. His present task was to follow his orders, and his orders were to find Arluin Starfire, no matter the cost.

* * *

><p>Far below the metal cloud that was the <em>Executioner,<em> the streets of Nar Shaddaa bustled with activity. Denizens of all kinds made their way towards homes, jobs, and assorted illegal activities. In the shadows of the towering skyscrapers, on the lowest levels of the city, danger lurked for the unwary. Vermin skittered by in alleyways, clutching scraps of tossed-out food. Addicts and drunks stumbled around on their own, oblivious to the presence of others. Poverty-stricken refugees sat at corners and begged for spare money. Dirty shopkeepers tried to shout above their competitors, advertising wares of various low qualities. Neon lights bathed the streets in unnatural glows, creating a surreal scene that made one Amidst it all, no one bothered to notice that in the very bottom of one of the many towering apartment buildings, there was one door that had been shut for several weeks. It did not open. No one came in. No one went out.

Through that door was a series of small, connected rooms. All were cramped, plain, and dimly lit, as well as not very clean. But the occupants of these rooms did not care—they were grateful to have been able to locate them at all. For the rooms and the locked door essentially created a safehouse hidden in plain sight—perfect to hide in if you were on the run.

The largest of these rooms was a mechanics bay. The majority of space inside it was taken up by a broken-down starfighter that had not worked in two dozen years. Other occupants of the room were a scattering of tools and mechanical parts, a workbench, and an astromech droid. The droid was an R2 unit, a barrellike, tripodal droid that was easily found in most parts of the galaxy. The astromech showed evidence of wear and tear—there were a few dents in her plating, and her white-and-purple paint was dirty and smudged. She was currently in the process of sealing a hole in the starfighter, using a welding tool extended from her chassis. Sparks flashed in the room as the droid connected two sections of plating together. As she finished, she pulled the arm back, turned her domelike head and let out a short whistle.

Summoned by the droid's call, her master stepped out of an adjacent doorway into the room. He was as unclean as his droid, wearing a jumpsuit covered in grease, dirt and other sorts of muck. His brown hair was unkempt and showed signs of having been like that for some time. Welding goggles were strapped to his head and work gloves covered his hands. In one hand he clutched a circuit board.

"You've finished the welding on that side?" he called out to the astromech. In response he got a cheerful whistle. The man stepped towards the fighter and hauled himself into its open cockpit. Opening a panel, he placed the circuit board in and made sure it was connected to the rest of the ship's wiring. Once finished, he flipped a switch on the ship's dash.

Lights came alive all around the cockpit. The sight brought a grin to the man's face. He tore off the welding goggles, revealing green eyes and kind features. Leaning out of the cockpit, he grinned at his droid.

"One step closer, eh, Savior?" She beeped back at him with mirrored enthusiasm.

Arluin Starfire leapt out of the cockpit and went to stand next to his mechanical friend, admiring their work. He had found the fighter in one of Nar Shaddaa's many scrapyards and brought it back here to tinker with. At first he had only wanted to keep himself busy, but his interest in the ship grew as they had made more progress. He was now sure that in time she would be able to fly again. The thought increased the width of his smile. He'd learned a lot about machines over the past few weeks. Reina had always been the one—

Arluin's smile died as quickly as it had appeared. He felt a pit in his gut, just like he always did when his thoughts turned to his twin sister. Arluin slumped, feeling the energy leave him. He stumbled over to the workbench to sit down. Savior beeped at him concernedly. Arluin looked his droid in her singular black eye.

"Sorry, Savior. It's her again." His voice came out ragged and choked.

Savior hooted softly. Arluin had named his droid for the time she had saved him from an oncoming Imperial walker by using his fallen ship's shields to redirect a laser bolt back at it. Being a droid, Savior was incredibly smart, but even she could not help him when it came to Reina.

Arluin sighed heavily. The incident with the walker felt like it had happened years and years ago instead of weeks. That was back when Reina was still with him. They had just made contact with the Rebels and met their new friends—friends that Reina would later betray at the most critical moment in their lives. Everything had fallen apart that day. She had joined the Empire and begun serving Admiral Merik, a dark and mysterious man who had been hellbent on capturing the Starfires. He had partially succeeded, and Reina was now in the throes of the dark side of the Force. Arluin had dueled her over the core of the space station Devastator and lost. He had barely escaped with his life.

The Starfire twins were descendants of the long-deceased Jedi Knights and therefore had the potential for mastery over the mystical Force. Arluin remained on the light side of the Force, but ever since Reina's betrayal, he had not been able to call on it. Every time he tried, a vision of Reina swam in his head. Without the Force or his lightsabers, he was no different than any common Rebel.

Arluin's chest ached just thinking about it. He missed his twin terribly. He had always been there for her, looking out for her, and he felt that he had failed her. Guilt ate away at him, and he had begun to despair—one reason he had chosen to occupy himself with the restoration of the starfighter. Out of contact with the rest of the Alliance and unsure of what to do, he could only pass time until an opportunity came.

Banishing thoughts of Reina from his mind, he looked up at Savior. "I wonder where Joshua and Allia are?" he wondered aloud. "They should have been back by now."

Right on time, a hidden door in the wall hissed open and Arluin's two friends entered the safehouse, followed by another astromech droid. Allia, a blue-skinned Twi'lek alien in her late teens, was dressed in her typical work overalls and boots with a gray headwrap adorning her hairless skull. As she walked in, her twin brain-tails, called lekku, swayed behind her.

Joshua came in after her. He was outfitted in his worn pilot's jumpsuit that was colored a faded orange. A blaster pistol was holstered on his belt, along with a variety of other small equipment. Arluin studied his rugged features and dark hair, and noted how they contrasted with his bright blue eyes. Joshua was around the same age as Allia, but Arluin knew they both had been through more in the past few weeks than they should have been at their age.

The red-bodied astromech rolled along without so much as a hoot. R2-X5 was programmed with lots of mechanical knowledge, and as such was extremely valuable to the small team, but lately he had been growing distant and quarrelsome. Ecksfive drove off into another room to charge himself.

Joshua nodded at Arluin, who was still sitting against the workbench. "Hey."

Arluin nodded back. "Hey."

Allia ignored them both. "I'm going to go change," she said, and stalked off to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Arluin sighed yet again. It was sad to see her like this.

Joshua walked over and sat down next to Arluin. He picked up a wrench and began fiddling with it. "No change since last recon," he said without looking up.

Arluin looked concernedly at his friend. "Everything all right?"

Joshua looked up at him. "Did you really just ask that?"

The young Jedi nodded off toward where Allia had enclosed herself. "I mean with her."

"It's still a dumb question."

"She looks angrier than she did this morning."

Joshua sighed and went back to playing with the tool. "I tried to talk to her again. No luck."

Arluin bit his lip. Allia had been cold to both of them ever since the failure at Ord Ibanna, where the Empire had captured her adopted brother, Barret Hadwin. Barret had gone with Arluin to help him fight Reina, and had given himself up so that Arluin could escape. He was still in the Empire's steel grip, locked away who knows where. Arluin suspected that deep down, Allia blamed him for losing her brother to the enemy. It appeared that Ecksfive echoed Allia's feelings as well.

"Maybe you should leave her alone about it."

Joshua quickly met his eyes again. "How can I? I hate seeing her like this. I have to help her somehow."

Ever since Arluin had met him, Joshua had harbored a deep care for Allia. The Twi'lek had been reciprocating his feelings, and it had appeared that there relationship had been about to blossom before everything had gone awry at Ord Ibanna. Now…

"I wish I could help you both. I don't know what to tell you, except to give it time," Arluin said, trying to console his friend.

Joshua tossed the wrench away, and slumped. "I know. I'm just not sure how much time we have anymore."

Allia's door banged open and the young woman came back into the room, wearing a loose white shirt and work pants. "The route to the hangar is still clear, and _Hadwin's Fate_ hasn't been touched," she reported.

Both men stood up and faced her. Arluin folded his arms over his chest and nodded. When the small group had come across the hideout, they discovered a secret passage to a large hangar bay, where they kept their ship, _Hadwin's Fate_.

"Everything's still go on her?" Arluin asked.

"Ecksfive did a whole system readout again," Allia replied as she leaned against the damaged starfighter. "If we need to leave on her, we can."

"Where will we go if we leave, anyway?" Joshua queried. "It's too risky to try to leave the planet with that blockade in orbit."

No one had an answer for him. Savior rolled up next to Arluin and settled near his leg. Arluin unfolded his arms and patted her on the top of the dome. "One thing's for sure. We can't stay here forever," he said.

Allia looked away. Joshua stared at his feet. The gravity of the band's situation was almost crushing. The atmosphere of the dimly lit room hung heavy with despair. Arluin searched for something else to say, but found himself wishing he hadn't said anything at all.

He coughed and said, "I'm going to go get some fresh air." Joshua just nodded without looking at him. Allia did nothing at all.

"Right," the young Jedi said, and quickly hustled out of the room. Savior whistled after him, but Arluin did not reply. He was too busy remembering the good times that he had had with those same people not long before, wondering where they had went, and wishing that everything in his world had not gone so horribly, completely wrong.

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><p>2<p>

Five Imperial shuttles soared over the towers of Nar Shaddaa. After flying several kilometers in formation, they broke off and headed for different sectors of the city. The lead shuttle angled downwards and began to descend into the deepest depths of the metallic forest. The inverted-Y shaped craft located its destination and lightly touched down, settling on the rusted metal and scrap that served as a landing platform. Residents of all species quickly cleared the area, hurrying to avoid any Imperial activity.

A ramp extended down from the belly of the shuttle, revealing a dark hold. Twenty Stormtroopers in bone-white armor poured out of it and took formation around the shuttle. One more figure emerged from the blackness of the cargo hold, a mechanized, octopus-like droid with a half dozen enormous black eyes. The probe droid floated down onto the dirty streets and began extending various limbs, testing its functionality and preparing for its job.

The Stormtroopers' leader barked an order, and the squad split off into fours, heading in different directions as so to cover more ground in less time. The probe droid drifted off into the shadows, eager as a droid could be to locate its target.

In four other locations, the exact same procedure was taking place. Imperial troops spread like viruses into the city, all hunting for the same target—a man named Arluin Starfire.

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><p>The door to the secret hideaway inched open, and Arluin crawled out of it slowly, trying not to attract attention. Before him was a packed street typical of Nar Shaddaa. Arluin wouldn't trust any of the beings in the crowd with his life, or anything else for that matter. Once fully outside, he shut the door again quietly. Doing a quick survey of his surroundings, he made sure no one had noticed him, and then merged into the bustling crowd.<p>

He knew it was dangerous to go outside, but he had to have some fresh air. The despair had begun to get to him again, and he needed a short walk to clear his head. _Besides,_ he thought, _no one will recognize me in this crowd. I'll blend in perfectly._ His dirty appearance matched that of every single creature around him. Walking in the street, he looked just like a common thief or ruffian that was a regularity on the smuggler's moon.

Arluin tilted his head all the way up and gazed into the night sky. All the neon lights made the stars invisible to him, but the artificial glow was pretty enough. It lied about the repression and crime happening all the time on Nar Shaddaa, creating a false image of enjoyment and relaxation. Arluin doubted any were fooled by it, as knowledge about the gray planet was spread far and wide. It was why he had chosen to come here in the first place—he knew it would be difficult for the Empire to locate him and his friends if they hid here.

Arluin noticed a familiar shape far off in the sky. He squinted, trying to make it out against the blackness of the sky. Finally, he realized what the shape was—it was a ship, a gigantic triangle with four round bulbs.

Arluin stopped dead in his tracks. He knew that ship anywhere. It had chased him and his sister halfway across the galaxy, under the command of one of the most evil people he had ever laid eyes on.

_He can't be here. I knew the blockade was serious, but I can't believe they pulled Merik all the way out to Nar Shaddaa. _Arluin stood stock still, eyes locked on the outline of the _Executioner. _Suddenly, he was roughly jostled and almost knocked over. The push brought him out of his trance and he looked down to find a tentacle-headed Quarren dusting himself off.

"Watch where you're going, human!" The amphibious alien shouted rudely, and left without waiting for an apology. Arluin grunted and turned around again, when another sight caught his attention.

A commotion was taking place in the streets. Aliens and humans of all sorts were backing away as four Imperial Stormtroopers marched with military precision toward him. Arluin quickly ducked into a nearby alley and stayed there until the Stormtroopers had passed. Silently, he peeked out of the alley and watched the troopers walk away.

The Stormtroopers marched over to a drug vendor and began inquiring about obtaining his merchandise. Arluin almost laughed—there was no way the troopers were allowed to use drugs while on the job. But why should they care? This was Nar Shaddaa. Their commanding officer would never know. Then Arluin noticed that the Quarren who had bumped into him was also at the stand, regarding the troopers with what Arluin took to be an angry look.

"Hey, you Stormies get outta here!" the alien yelled loud enough for Arluin to hear. "Your blockade is making my spice shipments run late! You're not welcome here!"

The Stormtroopers just laughed. This made the Quarren angrier.

"D'you know who I am, white boys? I'm the captain of the _Ebony Jewel_! No one laughs at me!" He whipped out a holdout blaster and aimed it at the Stormtroopers.

However important the Quarren thought himself, he was no match for the military training the Stormtroopers possessed. In less than a second, four laser bolts flashed and the Quarren fell down dead, a proud owner of a quadrant of smoking holes in his chest. The Stormtroopers grabbed what they had come for, and made it clear to the vendor that they would be leaving without paying. Packing away the addictive substances, they continued on their march.

Arluin came out of his cover and ran over to the vendor. He was a scaly, bug-eyed Rodian whose antennae were twitching nervously due to the heated events that had just happened outside his store. Arluin didn't blame him—if Imperial Stormtroopers had just shown up, killed one of his customers, and stole his merchandise, he would be shaken too. He retrieved the hand blaster the Quarren had dropped and holstered it in his belt, then stared into the Rodian's bulbous black eyes.

"Do you know what those troopers were here for?" He inquired firmly of the alien. The vendor shook his head in terror.

"White armor boys want spice! I give! They no pay! They say kill me!"

Arluin groaned in frustration. Clearly this Rodian could barely speak basic. It was going to be difficult to get information from him.

"I mean, what did they come to the city for?" He tried again, willing himself to keep his patience.

A shudder ran through the Rodian. "They look for someone! I know him not!"

Arluin experienced a tremble of his own. "Did they say this person's name?"

The Rodian's snout worked to get the name out. "Ar…Ar-loo-when…Starrrf-eye-er."

Arluin forgot all about his lack of patience. The day he had been dreading had finally come. The Empire had started searching the streets—eventually they would locate the secret hideout he and his friends were using. Panic overtook him, and he willed it down.

The Rodian went on. "They also say…find Ar-loo-when. Turn him in. Big reward from…Shield of Empire."

Arluin froze. His blood ran cold as his mind journeyed back to the howling pit that was the Devastator's core. He could vividly see in his mind's eye the narrow bridge that extended across the gap, with Reina standing on one side and himself on the other. Barret was close, his blaster pistol drawn and ready. Reina held her un-ignited saber in one hand, staring across the void into Arluin's eyes. His twin's lips moved. Above the banshee shriek of the wind, seven words wormed their way through the tension and into Arluin's ear and embedded themselves into his mind.

_I am the Shield of the Empire._

Arluin was brought back to the present with a jolt. The vendor was still speaking.

"You know Ar-loo-when?"

Finally the young Jedi managed to shake his head. "No. I've never met him. Goodbye." Dumbly, he stumbled off, leaving behind a very confused Rodian shopkeeper.

As he merged back into the reformed crowd, one thought circled its way through his mind.

_She's here. Reina's here._

The male Starfire was overwhelmed by emotions. Sadness, confusion, anger, and despair all spiraled inside him like a hurricane tearing him apart. He had never expected Reina would come all the way out here. Of course—she must have realized he would be here. Part of Arluin knew he had to tell the others, but the rest of him was growing numb and he found it difficult to focus his thoughts. In a haze, he wandered off into the streets of Nar Shadda, not caring where he was going or who he would find.

* * *

><p>In the many days spent inside the bunker, Joshua felt useless. He couldn't help Arluin and Savior repair their project starfighter or run diagnostics with Ecksfive, and Allia never asked him for help with anything anymore. He was a pilot, not a mechanic or a droid, but there were no dogfights to be won underground. So most of his time was used up wandering around the gray-walled safehouse, wondering when something was going to happen, and dreading what would come of it when it did. Arluin seemed like the only one of them who listened to Joshua those days, but he was still gone. This thought stuck in Joshua's head as he paced back and forth in the bunker's main room. Finally, he gave in. He stormed into a side room and located Ecksfive. The droid was still recharging, facing a wall.<p>

"Ecksfive, what's the time?"

The red astrodroid squawked angrily at him. Joshua rolled his eyes.

"Please don't mess with me right now. I realize I'm not Barret, but can't you at least tell me what I want to know?"

Ecksfive muttered a whistle and a short beep, then loudly informed Joshua of the current time. At hearing his answer, Joshua's brow furrowed.

"It's getting late." Ecksfive just mumbled and spun his dome around, staring at the wall again. The dark-haired pilot ignored this and rushed to Allia's room, where the Twi'lek was sitting on her messy bed, toying with a small scanner. As he entered, she looked up at him with hardened eyes.

"If you're going to try to console me again—" she started, but Joshua cut her off.

"I'm not. I've given up on that," he replied with a similar edge in his voice. His patience was running thin, and the fact that Allia was undeservedly short with him wasn't helping.

"Well… good," she said in response. This was followed by a short awkward silence. Then Allia spoke up again.

"If you didn't come here to talk to me, what was it that you needed?"

The young man stared at her. "Arluin's been gone for too long."

At this, the Twi'lek's expression softened. "Do you think—"

Joshua shook his head. "I don't know what to think."

Allia put the scanner down on a nearby table. "We should get the droids and go looking for him."

Joshua nodded. "Agreed. You should talk to Ecksfive. He barely listens to me anymore."

"I'm sure I understand why," Allia retorted, resentment returning to her face. The comment stung Joshua deeply, and his anger grew as well.

"Just go get Ecksfive," he replied sharply, and hustled off to find Savior.

* * *

><p>From her position on the <em>Executioner's<em> watch deck, Reina looked down upon the sprawl that was Nar Shaddaa. She had shed her pilot suit and was now clothed in black robes, combat boots, and a flowing cape. One thought lay on her mind as her green eyes surveyed the city below. Somewhere, someplace deep in that artificial forest, her brother—her enemy—was hiding, probably unsuspecting of his imminent capture.

Reina closed her eyes. She had not sensed Arluin in the Force for weeks. Constantly the dark Jedi wondered if something had happened to their connection due to her fall to the Dark Side, and that line of thought always led to her questioning her decision to join the Empire. Whenever these traitorous thoughts bubbled up, she forced them deep down inside her—she had chosen this path because it was the only way to live a life without constant peril and poverty. As the Shield of the Empire, she had power beyond imagining, and could offer protection to any that she felt needed it.

Reina had offered Arluin a chance to share in that life, but he had refused, and instead proceeded to try to kill her. His choice always made her so angry, and her rage against him fueled her new dark powers. With them, she would find her traitor brother and make him pay for what he had done to her.

As she thought this, a small flashback of herself and Arluin as small children playing in an empty street forced its way into her skull. Immediately Reina shoved the memory away before the pain could strike as it always did. Dwelling on her past life would not help—she had to focus on the present.

Turning away from the viewport, Reina departed from the watch deck and made her way through the gigantic Star Destroyer to the cruiser's brig. Normally, the _Executioner _lived up to its name, and prisoners were never taken. As Reina stalked through the empty holding cells, though, she came across a single cell that was occupied. This capture had been a very special case, and he had been permitted to let live until the higher-ups changed their minds.

Reina stepped close to the cell's energy shield to get a better look at the small room's lone occupant. The man was curled up on the cold deck inside his chamber. He wore a standard black prisoner jumpsuit and nothing else. From what Reina could see in the cell's dim light, he was covered from head to toe in bruises, slashes, and burns, though the dark Jedi knew that no torture machine had been used on him—the _Executioner_ never carried that kind of equipment, for normally it had no one to torture.

The man sensed Reina's presence and crawled up into a sitting position. Uncut brown hair and a short beard obscured some of his facial features, but the wounds inflicted upon him were clearly visible. Similarly, his deep brown eyes, caring and compassionate, shone like gems as they stared at her. Pain and weakness caused him to tremble, but his voice retained some strength as he spoke to her.

"Hello… again… Reina," said Barret Hadwin.

The dark Jedi regarded her former ally and friend with cool indifference. "Look at you, Barret. Hard to believe you're still alive."

The freighter pilot grinned. "I'm…tougher than I look." Barret's entire body shook as a ragged cough tore through him. Reina smirked.

"I doubt you'll be able to hold out much longer."

Barret ignored this. "Arluin's down there, isn't he?"

Reina's smirk disappeared. Barret noticed and laughed slightly.

"I knew it," he said. "You do still care about him."

Reina bared her teeth. "You don't know a thing about me!" she snarled.

Barret became serious and stared into her green eyes with his brown. "I know you well enough…to know that you were a good person. You were…my friend." He looked up at her imploringly. "It's not too late for you to turn back."

Reina crossed her arms over her chest, her anger fading away to bitter sadness. "That life is behind me and you know it. I'm the Shield of the Empire now."

Barret shrugged. "It doesn't…matter." He sighed. "I don't blame you for…this." He gestured at the wounds coating his body. Reina looked at him, an eyebrow arched.

"You should."

Barret shook his head, then grimaced when the act caused him pain. "It's not…your fault. It's that…bastard…Merik." Slowly he lifted one battered arm, finger extended, to point at her. "He turned you into this. But you can…turn back."

Reina looked away, trying not to listen to her old friend or the doubts he was arising in her soul. Barret turned his finger to point at himself. "It's…okay. I forgive you. I truly do. It's not…your fault."

At this, Reina broke. Her combined guilt and rage overtook her, and she quickly directed her right hand at Barret. Focusing on her anger, she formed her hand into a chokehold. At once, Barret began choking and sputtering, clutching at his throat as Reina crushed his neck with the Force. Moving her hand upwards, she actually lifted him into the air as he gasped for air. After a few long seconds, she released him, and Barret crumpled to the deck, drawing deep breaths but barely moving otherwise. Touching the cell's controls, Reina lowered the energy shield separating them. She approached Barret and towered over him, glowering down with a dark stare. Studying the dozens of wounds on his skin, she decided he needed a few more. Reina bent down over her prisoner's ear.

"If you won't let go of the past, I have ways of making you," she hissed through clenched teeth. When he didn't respond, she drew up her left hand and held it over him, palm down. Calling once more on the dark side of the Force, streaks of blue lightning flew from her fingertips and rippled over Barret. Immediately he began writhing and screaming in mortal pain. The dark Jedi who stood over him was immune to his agony, though, and increased the torture until Barret's screams echoed throughout the entire brig of the _Executioner._

* * *

><p>Joshua, Allia, and the two astromech droids pushed their way through the Nar Shaddaa streets, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. They had been searching for over an hour and had found no sign of their Jedi friend. Joshua's eyes darted this way and that, attempting to find Arluin's familiar face against the mess of aliens and humanoids. Finding no purchase, he grumbled to himself.<p>

"Anything?" he turned around and asked the group.

"No, nothing," Allia replied, still scanning the dozens of faces around them. Ecksfive warbled a negatory. Joshua faced forward again and resumed looking.

"I wish I had X-Ray vision right now," he sighed.

Savior, who was bringing up the rear, had a sensor dish extended from a hatch in her dome. It was spinning slowly, trying its best to pick up the droid's master. So far, though, it had detected no trace of Arluin. Savior was beginning to register a troubling feeling in her personality core that she analyzed as despair. However, hearing Joshua's complaint, she hatched an idea.

The little droid switched her monocular vision to a different mode that was designed to scan for biological identities. Immediately, her sight sensors were awash with bright green readings from the organisms surrounding them. Savior twirled her dome around, getting a three hundred and sixty degree view of the crowd. At first, nothing seemed different. Then she saw a terrifyingly familiar shape floating somewhere behind them, one that did not possess a biological signature. It comprised of an oval head mounted on a squat body with long, spindly arms trailing below it. Savior recognized it at once as an Imperial Probe droid, and artificial terror shot through her systems.

Spinning her dome forward, she whistled and beeped in an attempt to warn the others. Unfortunately, her noises were lost among the confusion of the street. Turning to look at the Imperial droid again, she noticed it was not heading for them—rather, it was taking off down an alley. Curious, Savior decided to take action on her own and left the group to follow it.

Rolling as silently as possible, Savior quietly pursued the Probe droid. The dark robot drifted noiselessly down the alley and turned a corner. The stocky but brave astromech went after it. Inching around the corner, Savior peeked around cautiously to discover where the probe had gone. As her single eye made its way around, a monstrous black shape filled it—the Imperial droid had stopped just around the corner. Savior jerked back, frightened that the probe had discovered her, but it did not move to attack her. Increasing her audio receptors, the rebel astromech picked up a faint beeping noise that she interpreted to be a tracking device. Peering around the corner again, Savior observed the Probe droid and noticed that it had two antennae extended into the air. The little droid deciphered that it was searching for someone, and she had a pretty good guess who.

After a minute, the Probe droid retracted its antennae and began floating onward once more. Savior resumed her pursuit, tracking the Imperial machine through the dark alleyway until they both came out onto another street. This lane was much less packed than the one before, and was home to several run-down stores and entertainment centers. From there, Savior watched the Probe approach and enter a small, shady cantina across the street. After pausing to make sure the coast was clear, Savior rolled over and made her way into the tavern as well.

Once inside, the small droid took in the establishment. A scant few lowlifes that were all as shady as the cantina itself sat alone and sipped beverage of various kinds. The bartender stood behind his desk, wiping a dirty cup with an even dirtier rag. The lighting was dim, and the building messy and poorly patched up. Everyone was too busy in their own heads to notice the large, black Imperial probe droid sneaking up on one of the customers. Savior identified that the customer in question had brown hair wore a filthy mechanic's jumpsuit. As he sat deep in his own thoughts, the Probe inched closer and held up a thin arm towards him. On the end of the arm was a stun device, crackling with energy—

Savior shrieked loudly, making everyone in the cantina jump in surprise. The man in the jumpsuit spun around wildly, saw the probe about to attack him, and threw his hands up in front of his face. The probe itself, confused, turned its multi-eyed head towards the astromech. Savior rushed forward at top speed, extending her ion tool as she went. The tool was made for shocking broken electronics into submission, but a high enough voltage would stun a droid as large as the Imperial probe.

Once in range, Savior let loose with the ion tool. Blue bolts arced over the monster machine, shorting out its systems and causing its drive to fail. Damaged and destroyed, the droid collapsed onto the floor, arms sprawled out in all positions, now completely powerless.

Arluin, who was recovering from the close call, lowered his arms and looked at the probe, then at Savior. He grinned at his faithful little droid.

"Wow. So that's two I owe you, then?"

Savior beeped enthusiastically, happy to see her master unharmed. Arluin strode over and knelt down in front of her, checking for damage. All around them, the bartender and other customers went back to what they were doing. A random attack was not uncommon at Nar Shaddaa, and they preferred to keep to their own business anyway.

"You handled that perfectly, Savior. I'm sure lucky you were here. I should have been paying attention." Arluin sighed and shook his head. "Reina's here. She's looking for me. This probe must have been a scout trying to hunt me down."

The white-and-purple astromech hooted softly.

"Of course I'm scared," Arluin replied. "I haven't seen her since Ord Ibanna. I'm not entirely sure what to do. That's why I came here." He sucked in a deep breath and let it out. "Now it's clear we don't have any time to sit around anymore. We have to find the others and get out of here. It's too dangerous to stay." Arluin rubbed his droid on her dome, trying to calm himself down and clear his mind. "It's a good thing that probe didn't escape."

Savior was about to agree when her audio sensors detected a faint transmission from nearby. Realization shot through her, and she spun to face the fallen probe droid. Whipping out her torch, the stocky droid proceeded to incinerate the other machine's body until it's core was completely melted.

Arluin watched in confusion. "What was that about?"

Savior whistled urgently in reply.

"The droid used the last of its power to transmit our location?" Adrenaline began pumping into Arluin's body. He unholstered the blaster he had taken from the deceased Quarren. Motioning to his mechanical companion, he started rushing out the door of the cantina. "Come on. We don't have much time!"

* * *

><p>3<p>

"Where's Savior?" Allia asked, unease beginning to sneak into her voice. The whole group stopped in the middle of the street and swiveled their heads, looking for their fourth companion.

"She must have gone off by herself to find Arluin," Joshua said, brow knitted in frustration. First Arluin had disappeared, now his droid was gone—things were not looking up for them. He was about to suggest heading back to the base to see if Arluin had returned when Ecksfive began screeching wildly. Allia grasped the panicking astromech with both hands in an effort to calm him down.

"What is it, Ecksfive?" she asked him. The Twi'lek girl was met with a string of quick whistles and sharp beeps. Allia looked up at Joshua, concern in her face.

"He says several Stormtroopers are heading this way, and quickly."

Joshua shot into action. Gesturing to a nearby alley, he shepherded his two comrades to cover. "This way!"

As they hid in the shadows, they dared not to move. Before long, they heard the clacking of armored boots coming down the street. Joshua risked a look and saw seven Imperial troopers muscling their way through the crowded street at a fast pace. As the squad neared the rebels' position, Joshua was able to hear some of their comlink chatter.

"…target Alpha has been located, moving to intercept…"

"…Beta target locations unknown, shall we attempt search?"

"Negative, negative. Alpha has priority, repeat Alpha has priority…"

And they were gone, pushing and shoving a path through the mixed bag of beings that commuted in the street. Joshua turned to look at Allia and Ecksfive.

"They were saying something about intercepting a high-priority target," he informed them. Allia met his gaze with fear in her eyes.

"Do you think they meant Arluin?" she asked nervously.

"I don't know what else they could have been talking about."

"What are we going to do?"

Joshua unholstered his blaster. "We're going to draw them off him, that's what we're going to do."

Allia's fear turned into determination. "Let's do it."

Joshua looked down at Ecksfive. "I need you to get to the hangar and warm up the _Fate_. The way things are going, it looks like we'll be leaving soon, blockade or no." Ecksfive warbled an argument, but Joshua did not relent. "Please, Ecksfive? I need to be able to count on you right now."

Finally Ecksfive grumbled an affirmative. Joshua grinned. "Good droid. Now get going, and be careful." Ecksfive spun around and trundled down the alley, soon disappearing from view.

Joshua turned to Allia. "Stay behind me."

A hint of rebellion touched her blue visage. "Don't tell me what to do."

Joshua raised his blaster for emphasis, barrel pointed toward the dark sky. "You're forgetting I have the blaster, and you're unarmed. Until you get one for yourself, you're using me as a shield. No need for you to get hurt."

Allia crossed her arms over her chest angrily. "Fine, but you'd better do a damn good job of protecting me."

Joshua almost made a joke, but decided not to further incur his friend's wrath. Instead, he leaned out of the alley and searched for the Stormtroopers. Luckily, due to the overcrowded street, they were still not far away. Joshua pointed his pistol at the closest trooper's back, steadied his breathing, and squeezed the trigger.

The red bolt tore through the air and struck the trooper square in the back, searing through his body and throwing him to the ground. At the sound of their squadmate falling, the other Stormtroopers about-faced. Immediately they recognized the shooter. Com chatter burst into the air.

"Beta targets sighted! Engage! Engage!"

Knowing he had their attention, Joshua reached over and grabbed Allia by the wrist. "Come on," he shouted, and tugged her into the street after him. As blaster bolts began igniting the space around them, the two rebels ran for their lives—in the opposite direction the Imperial troops had come from in the first place.

* * *

><p>Far above the skirmish blossoming in the streets of Nar Shaddaa, Reina Starfire paced the bridge of the <em>Executioner.<em> She had calmed down since her encounter with Barret in the brig and pushed traitorous thoughts out of her mind, but lack of news regarding Arluin was making her anxious. Placing one hand on her waist, she fingered the cold metal tube hanging on her belt. The lightsaber had been bestowed to her by Pando Paian, an Ithorian Jedi Master she and Arluin had met on the dead world of Katarr. Paian was one of the last remaining Jedi Masters in the galaxy, and as such one of the only beings who could instruct the Starfires in the ways of the Force.

The twins had been forced to leave before their training could be finished. This was shortly before Reina had chosen to become the Shield of the Empire. Since then, she had not seen the Ithorian and doubted Arluin had either. With no teacher, Reina had been developing her natural abilities on her own as best she could, and her torture of Barret was testament that she had made progress indeed.

Captain Forer came up to her, arms stiffly at his side. Reina shot him a dangerous look with a twist of her head, indicating that she did not want to be trifled with at this moment.

"What is it, Captain?"

Forer met her intense gaze with only a little terror. In the past few hours, the Captain had become much more comfortable with the presence of a dark Jedi on his ship. "Two of the squads have reported in, my Lady."

Reina turned her whole body to face him, presenting an imposing black figure. "And what did they report?"

The officer's stoutness crumbled slightly. "The first has informed us that they are hot on the trail of Arluin Starfire."

Exhilaration poured into Reina. This was exactly what she had been waiting to hear. "Excellent, Captain. What of the second team?"

"They have engaged the pilot boy and the Twi'lek girl in combat, lady Reina."

The Shield of the Empire nodded. Joshua and Allia. "More good news. It is also important that they— "

A memory surged forward, unbidden. A human and a blue-skinned Twi'lek, both female, resting near the landing strut of a trident-headed freighter on the surface of a dead world, laughter echoing through the forest of crumbling structures—

Reina shut her eyes. She did not need this right now. Willing the memory to go away, she took a slow, deep breath.

"My Lady?"

The dark Jedi opened her eyes again and stared at the gray-uniformed officer in front of her. Forer was regarding her with a confused and concerned gaze.

"Important that they what?"

Reina recovered her character and completed her sentence. "It is important that they are also captured alive. Make sure your troops do so, Captain."

Forer resumed his professional stance. "Of course. They will not get away this time." A small bit of worry leaked back onto his complexion. "Are you all right, my Lady?"

Reina nodded again. "I will be." She changed topics quickly. There was no reason this Captain needed to know her personal thoughts. "You are doing well, Captain. Keep up the good work."

The compliment seemed to make Forer's chest puff out slightly. A grin touched his face. "I plan to, my Lady." He saluted and departed her company.

Turning away, Reina strode out of the bridge, cape flowing behind her. The long-awaited capture of her brother was near, and she was not going to let a few memories get in her way.

* * *

><p>Savior nudged against Arluin's keg, beeping urgently. The young rebel waved a hand in front of her eye to calm her down, then peered around the wall he was using for cover. Yes, the Stormtrooper squad was still there. A scarlet blaster bolt sizzled past his head, narrowly missing. Arluin ducked back, then came around again and fired a shot of his own. The bolt shot past a trooper on the far left and impacted on a wall, doing no damage. Arluin clenched his teeth. If he kept missing, he wasn't going to last much longer.<p>

The Stormtroopers had ambushed them in the streets on the way back to the hideout. Seven of the Imperial troops barred the way to safety, although Arluin had brought one of them down with a quick hand before he had been forced into cover. Now he was outnumbered six-to-one, and both Jedi and droid knew those were not good numbers.

In a desperate gamble, Arluin tried to call on the Force for help, but as usual he could not concentrate well enough to summon it. Giving up, he attempted to take a shot at the Stormtroopers again, but six laser bolts seared by him, ending Arluin's counterattack prematurely. Arluin cursed under his breath. He was out of options.

Savior started whistling again. Arluin looked down at his mechanical companion in annoyance.

"What is it, Savior?" he asked in frustration.

The white and purple droid released a long string of pings, hoots, and whistles. Arluin interpreted it all immediately.

"Getting around building to building? That might work." Arluin thought about it, and decided it was the duo's only choice. "Okay, let's do it." Savior pinged excitedly and waited for orders.

Arluin looked around for an entry into one of the nearby buildings. Spotting a door left wide open on the other side of the empty street, he waited for a lull in the suppression fire, and then dashed over. He could feel the heat of blaster bolts burning past him, missing by inches. Reaching his new cover, he ducked down and spun around to cover Savior. Releasing a stream of wild fire from his handgun designed to make the Stormtroopers retreat, he ensured that his astromech friend crossed the street safely.

Once both inside the simple gray structure, Arluin and Savior double-timed it up a ramp to the building's middle floor. Finding a small chamber with one open window, both rebels rushed in. Arluin slammed the door behind him. Rushing over to the medium-sized window, Arluin almost tripped over a large couch. Savior whipped out her welding tool and began fusing the door shut. The barricade wouldn't hold off the troopers forever, but it would buy them valuable time.

Poking his head out of the window, Arluin surveyed the ground below. Almost at once he was forced back into the room as a laser bolt tore past his head. The young Jedi swore—he should have known the troopers would leave a guard or two in the street. Moving quickly, he snapped off a trio of bolts at where the shot had come from. He heard a sizzle and a grunt of pain, and knew at least one of his shots had connected. Looking out again, he identified the nearest adjacent window and blasted it open with a single well-aimed shot.

By this time, Savior had finished welding the door closed. A steady banging sounded throughout the small room as the Stormtroopers rammed into it, trying to force it open. Suddenly, the door gave way with a tremendous crash, and the white-armored soldiers began attempting to enter the chamber, aiming their blaster carbines.

Arluin whirled around and quickly released a volley of suppression fire that killed one trooper and forced the remaining five to fall back. Grabbing his chance, Arluin motioned to Savior to escape through the open window. Moving aside to give the astromech room, the young Rebel crouched behind the couch, continuing to provide suppression fire.

Once at the foot of the window, Savior extended the booster rockets that were hidden inside her legs. She activated them, and with a loud _whoosh_ the droid began to lift off the floor. Once at sufficient altitude, she tilted the rockets forward and started to drift through the opening, slowly picking up speed. The Stormtroopers noticed and opened fire on her, but Savior had just enough room to maneuver around them. Now at a relatively high speed, the droid hurtled over the street and executed a careful landing in the room across the street.

Ensuring that his loyal companion was safe, Arluin holstered his blaster and readied for his escape. The street was much too wide for him to jump without the aid of the Force, but the Jedi had an idea. Arluin opened his toolkit and retrieved a spring-loaded mechanism that fired a grappling wire. On the end of the wire was an adhesive pad that would attach and stick to most anything. Getting up, Arluin put himself through the window and fired the wire at a space above the adjacent opening. The pad connected with the structure's metal plating and fastened in less than a second. Taking a deep breath, Arluin grabbed the wire with both hands and jumped.

He fell through empty air, and for a very frightening moment thought that the wire would snap and he would fall to his death below. Then he felt it grow taught in his grip, and he began to arc back up toward the window where Savior was waiting for him. Joy at his successful escape filled his mind, but was replaced by burning pain as something hit him in the back of his right calf. The shock caused him to yell aloud and almost let go of the wire, but he held on. Reaching the window, he tumbled in, released the wire and collapsed in front of Savior, his face a mask of hurt.

The stocky droid inspected his leg and hooted in alarm. Breathing heavily, Arluin looked back at his injured limb. What he saw made him grimace. A blaster bolt from an Imperial carbine had seared the flesh raw and burned a sizeable hole into his lower leg. Arluin clenched his teeth and forced himself to get up, reminding himself that the Stormtroopers would be back soon. As he rose shakily, Savior beeped questioningly.

"We'll look at it later, Savior," Arluin said, his voice full of pain. "Right now, we gotta move." He gingerly took a few steps forward, testing his injured leg.

Savior whistled another query. Arluin nodded.

"Yeah, I think I'll be able to make it the rest of the way on my own." He drew his scavenged blaster pistol once more. "Let's head for the roof."

Hastily locating a flight of stairs, man and droid began to make their way to the top of the structure. Arluin hobbled as fast as he could, while Savior fired off short bursts from her rocket jets to climb efficiently. They went up many floors before reaching the highest one. By then, Arluin knew the Stormtroopers were close to catching up.

At the top of the stairs was a cold metal door. Having no time to check if it was locked, Arluin rammed his left shoulder into it, bashing it open in one quick move. The action hurt his shoulder dreadfully, though, and for the second time, Arluin's yell of pain sounded in the building. Breathing deeply, Arluin forced himself to go on, with Savior rolling close behind.

They found themselves on the flattened roof of the structure. Light from Nar Shaddaa's sunrise was just beginning to touch the smuggler's moon, and skyscrapers and air traffic were highlighted against the golden-red glow. There was no time to enjoy the beautiful scenery, however—a trill from Savior told Arluin that she had detected Stormtrooper voices in the stairwell behind them. The brown-eyed Jedi looked around. From his vantage point, he could recognize the tower that the group's secret bunker was hidden below. It was still a few blocks away, though, and the closest flat-topped building was a dozen feet apart from the structure they stood upon.

Savior rolled up to Arluin, watching him carefully and waiting for orders. Arluin gestured to the nearest building. "There's no way I can jump that. Not with this leg."

Savior beeped excitedly and Arluin stared down at her. "Climb on your back?" he asked. "Like we did at Venaari?"

The droid hooted an affirmative. She was referring to the time she had flown across a gaping chasm carrying Arluin on her back. The journey had been short and shaky, but they had made it. Arluin nodded and holstered his blaster, moving to grab hold of his droid. Once he had secured his grip, Savior ignited her rockets again and lifted off, albeit straining against the extra weight. Slowly they moved off the roof and out over the street.

A red-hot bolt soared past the duo. Arluin glanced back and saw the five Stormtroopers in formation on the roof behind them, firing at him and his droid. By now, though, they were out of range—the troopers weren't going to hit them with their short-range carbines. Arluin grinned as the white-armored soldiers grew smaller and smaller and the rebels got farther away.

An alarmed whistle from the astromech brought his attention around again. Arluin's eyes widened in fear as he looked at their chosen landing zone. The building they were approaching was not flat-topped at all—it had only appeared so from the other roof. Rather, it was an extremely steep slant, and on the far side of the building was a messy pile of scrap—not a great place to touch down in.

"Savior, we need to find somewhere else to land!" Arluin shouted. A sputtering sound made his heart sink into his stomach. He looked down at Savior's rockets. The strain had finally got to them, and they were struggling to remain active—but from the rate they were degrading, the duo would not be in the air much longer. Finally, they cut out for a full second. Droid and human dipped slightly, then steadied as the rockets powered on again. Savior had one moment to softly hoot a sigh of relief before her rockets went out for good, and they both started to freefall.

The slanted building rushed rapidly up to meet them. The air was forced out of Arluin's lungs as he smacked down on its roof and began to roll down to the ground below. He heard a loud clang beside him as Savior hit the roof as well and started to slide downwards. Her electronic screech mixed with the sound of grinding metal, and sparks flew out behind her, Arluin tumbled out of control, completely unable to stop his fall. He tried to grab something, anything to slow himself down, but his hands found no purchase. They both ran out of roof quickly, and toppled over the edge.

Savior fell into the scrap pile first, plunging deep into the sea of metal parts. Arluin grunted in pain as he impacted as well, and sharp, rusty metal objects of all sorts scraped and battered his body. Luckily, he sank no further than the surface. Mind overwhelmed by pain, he simply lay there for a few moments before a shaky whistle brought him to full consciousness. Arluin looked over and saw his droid lying near him, gazing at him with her large black eye.

"Oh, Savior…"

The droid's hull was now dented and battered in almost every location. Her dome had a large crack running down it, and scorch marks spotted her white body. Her paint was scratched and ruined, and her rockets were bent and broken. She let out a woozy series of beeps, trying to assure Arluin she was all right, but her master knew better—his friend was heavily damaged. Ignoring his own pain, he crawled over to her and lifted her upright. As he did so, he observed that a gigantic black mark showed where she had been connecting to the roof as she had slid down. Arluin frowned. Savior was not in good shape at all.

His friend spun her dome around to face him. Arluin tried to put on an optimistic smile.

"I won't lie, you're fairly hurt, little one. I'll getcha back to the _Fate_—we'll fix you up in no time."

The promise of repair put some vigor back in the little droid, and her reply was strengthened. In return, this put some spark back into Arluin and allowed his mind to focus. Realizing he need to check himself for damage as well, he carefully ran his hand over his face. He gingerly touched a gash in his forehead and pulled his fingers away. They were covered in sticky, red blood—his blood. He detected bruises and cuts all over the rest of his body, and his jumpsuit was torn in many locations. Arluin sighed.

"You're not the only one who needs some fixing…"

Steadying himself on the pile, he guided Savior to the steady ground not too far below, then lowered himself down. Locating the tower that marked their hideout, the two set out once again, counting on their last reserves of tenacity to see them through.

* * *

><p>Half an hour of urban combat had taken its toll on Joshua. His muscles ached, his lungs screamed for air, and his hair was matted with sweat. He and Allia had been running through endless streets and buildings, pursued by Stormtroopers the whole way. The Imperial forces had driven them farther and farther away from the hangar, and every minute made sure that more distance was put between the rebels and escape.<p>

Currently, Joshua was struggling to fix his firearm. His blaster pistol had developed an electrical jam that prevented the system from firing. He was crouched behind a corner of a tall building, with Allia next to him, shooting at the Stormtroopers with a scavenged Imperial carbine. The street was filled with blaster fire, and there was barely room to move.

As the young pilot finally corrected the error in his weapon, he raised it again to fire just to have it suddenly torn out of his hand by a blaster bolt. Quickly, he twisted his head in the direction the shot had come from and identified the long dark barrel of a Stormtrooper sniper rifle poking out of a window across the street.

"Sniper!" he yelled, grabbing Allia and yanking her to deeper cover. A second bolt impacted the spot where she had been crouching a moment ago. Pulling them both behind a large metal dumpster, Joshua looked around for a way out.

"That sniper's going to allow the troopers to advance," he stated. "We're going to get flanked pretty soon if we don't bail."

Allia gripped the carbine tightly. "Any bright ideas, flyboy?"

Finally Joshua spotted a sign amidst the buildings that read PUBLIC GARAGE in large red letters. A light went on in his brain. "Possibly. Run on three."

"Run where?!"

"Just stay behind me," Joshua insisted. "Ready?"

Allia clutched her blaster even tighter and nodded. Joshua steeled himself and prepared to execute his plan.

"One."

He reached out and grabbed Allia's wrist.

"Two."

The radio chatter of the Stormtroopers could be heard now as they came closer.

"Three!"

The duo leapt up and started sprinting toward the garage. Almost immediately, blaster fire buzzed through the air once more. Joshua made sure to duck and weave to avoid it, keeping his solid grip on Allia's wrist as he led her to the building. As they reached the sign, Joshua spotted a small door under it and shoved it open. Making sure Allia was inside with him, he thrust it shut and bolted it. Knowing the latch would not buy them much time, he immediately began scanning the dark, open interior of the garage. Rows of colorful airspeeders awaited his gaze. Any one of them he could take under other circumstances, but he was in dire need of the fastest vehicle available. Finally, one in particular caught his eye. He identified it as a Narglatch XJ-7, a model known for speed. He wasn't sure whether it's arrowlike shape or blue-and-white paint reminded him of his old Spearhead fighter, but he shook away nostalgia and forced himself to concentrate. The XJ-7 was open-topped and held two passengers, and would be ideal for carrying Allia and to safety.

Joshua indicated the speeder to his friend. "Think you can hotwire that?"

Allia handed him the blaster and pulled out a tool. "In a jiffy."

They hurried down the line of parked speeders to the XJ-7. Allia leaned into the cockpit and started to tinker with its systems while Joshua crouched behind the speeder in front and pointed the blaster at the door, which he knew would burst open any second.

The Stormtroopers did not disappoint. With a flash and a bang they broke down the door, but the small size of the entrance forced them to enter single-file. Joshua had the upper hand now. He let loose a stream of red-hot bolts that struck the first two troopers and burned through their chests in a nanosecond. As he kept up the suppression fire, Allia finished the final procedures necessary for taking control of the speeder. Connecting two tiny wires, the control dash flashed and came to life, and a loud hum emerged from the speeder's engine. At once, Allia hopped into the driver's seat, but was quickly shoved over by Joshua, who had abandoned his position at the sound of the engine starting up.

"Nuh-uh," he said. "I'm the pilot here." He tossed the blaster into her lap and grabbed the steering controls with both hands. Lifting the airspeeder a few feet off the ground, he pointed it in the direction of the garage bay door. Ignoring the Stormtrooper fire, he poured all the speeder's power into its thrusters and held on tight as it shot forward.

The old metal buckled and split open as the speeder rammed through it and burned into the open air. Wind screamed in Joshua's ears as he quickly gained altitude and acceleration, driving the vehicle into the night sky. The speeder's engine roared as the twin turbofan thrusters propelled them through the air. Beside him, Allia had shrunk down in the passenger seat, eyes squeezed shut and holding the carbine in a death grip. The sight made Joshua grin a little—Allia was not used to the breakneck speed of piloting like he was.

All around them, the Nar Shadda skyline glowed brightly with neon lights, creating the illusion of a multihued atmosphere. Below them, skyscrapers and other assorted structures poked up like needles. Not too far off, the _Executioner_ loomed in the distance. Joshua checked their location on the XJ-7's dashboard and ensured that they would not have to get any closer to the Star Destroyer then they were now. Twisting the speeder's controls, he pulled them through a wide right turn and started heading toward the hangar.

Allia finally poked her head up and looked around. Studying the incredible view, she seemed to relax a little.

"You okay?" Joshua asked over the shriek of wind.

"Uh-huh," the Twi'lek teenager replied a little woozily.

The rebel pilot was about to ask if she wanted him to slow down a little bit when he picked up an all-too-familiar noise coming from the direction of the _Executioner._ The sound was like a banshee's scream, and it was slowly getting closer. Joshua spun his head around and spotted the source—two black dots were hurtling toward them, silhouetted against the frame of the Imperial cruiser. As they came nearer, they formed into the H-shaped structure of the Imperial TIE fighter. Panic shot through Joshua, and he knew slowing down would have to wait.

"TIE fighters, on our tail!" he yelled. "Hold on, I'm going to do some fancy flying!"

He jerked the controls down just in time to avoid a laser burst from both fighters, causing Allia to slide down into her seat again. The chittering of the TIEs' cannons alerted him to when the Imperial pilots were firing at them, and he intended to avoid every shot—the thin XJ-7 had absolutely no armor at all and would not be able to take many hits. Joshua knew he would have to outmaneuver the TIEs, and so he angled the speeder down toward the skyscrapers and began seeking out the quickest route to the hangar. He began to dodge and weave around the points of the buildings, forcing the TIEs to do the same. If he was lucky, he could throw them off their tail.

Another series of laser bolts rushed past them and impacted on a skyscraper, taking a chunk out of the building. The explosion rocked the small speeder, and Joshua had to quickly correct their angle before they were flipped over and out of their seats. He gritted his teeth—he was never going to get away from them this way. He needed more cover. Flying lower, he started to make large arcs around thick structures that would prevent the TIEs from shooting at them.

"How far are we from the hangar?" Allia asked over the noise of the chase.

Joshua checked the readout again. "Not far. Just a few more minutes!"

Allia screamed a warning and Joshua looked up from the dash. In his short distraction, a third TIE fighter had come up ahead of them and blocked off their route. Before Joshua could react, the Imperial fighter fired, scored a direct hit on the speeder, and swooped away. The laser bolts had struck a section of the speeder's engine, and the wounded machine began to belch flame and smoke, partially obscuring Joshua's view. The craft immediately dipped and began accelerating out of control. Allia screamed again and covered her head with her arms. Joshua wrestled with the steering controls and found they were still functional.

"Hang on!" he yelled. "I can still maneuver this thing! We can still reach the hangar! It's not too late yet!"

* * *

><p>The tridenthalf circle shape of _Hadwin's Fate_ filled Ecksfive's photoreceptor as the stout droid finally rolled inside the large hangar bay. The battered craft had served the Hadwin family since the days of the Clone Wars, and as such had just as many scars and repairs as Ecksfive did. As Barret, the oldest Hadwin, was currently in the chains of the Empire, ownership of the vessel had temporarily fallen to Allia. However, everyone had agreed that Joshua was the best pilot of the group, and since Barret's capture the young man had been in charge of piloting the freighter from destination to destination.

Internal devices inside Ecksfive's body allowed him to control subsections of the _Fate's_ devices whenever the astromech was nearby his larger brother machine. These came in handy as he rolled toward the parked ship, as he triggered its computers to lower the boarding ramp and allow him access to the freighter's interior.

Ecksfive wasted no time in making his way to the _Fate's _bridge. Once he had reached his destination, he secured himself in the special socket the ships' maker had implemented for him and connected himself to the ship's controls. Knowing his masters would be along soon, the droid began the _Fate's_ ignition sequence and listened to the steadily growing roar of the ship as it started to power up around him.

* * *

><p>The airspeeder was severely out of control. Despite Joshua's best efforts, it continued to soar between the towering skyscrapers of Nar Shaddaa like an angry mynock. Beside him, Allia held on for dear life. Luckily for them, the TIE fighters had broken off from the chase, but the threat of colliding into the side of a building or another speeder still posed trouble for the teens.<p>

Glancing quickly at the dash, Joshua saw that they were still approaching the hangar. "We're almost there," he yelled. "It should be coming into view soon!"

Sure enough, as they whipped around the corner, they saw the large, boxlike hangar laid out in front of them. The sun was just beginning to come up, and rays of light streamed between the Nar Shaddaa skyline—also illuminating several inverted-Y-shaped _Lambda-_class shuttles moving in on their destination.

"Stormtroopers!" Joshua shouted. "If they get to the _Fate _before we do—"

Before he could finish his statement, a segment of engine exploded and pieces went flying away from the speeder. A high-pitch whine was emitted from the engine, and the craft began to dip even more sharply.

"I can't control it any longer!" the young pilot exclaimed. "Hold on tight!"

Allia reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it like a lifeline. Joshua was barely able to register his surprise at this move as the ground rushed up to meet them. Bracing himself, he shut his eyes and prepared for the worst.

The second the speeder connected with the ground, its nose crumpled like paper with a sickening crunch. A massive jolt tore through the small craft, almost knocking the rebels from their seats. The speeder continued to skid forward until it ground its way to a halt a few feet from the hangar. Joshua opened his eyes and looked at his Twi'lek companion.

"You all right?" he asked. Allia looked up at him and weakly nodded. She pulled her hand out of his and sat up, peering around dazedly with half-closed eyes. Joshua tried to snap her out of it.

"Those Stormtroopers are getting closer! We need to move, now!"

Allia's eyes flew fully open and focused. She hoisted herself out of the flaming wreck of the speeder and started hurrying for the hangar, Joshua running at her heels.

The two located an entrance into the large structure and rushed inside, heading for the familiar freighter. Already the hum of the _Fate's_ engine was reaching a fever pitch, signaling the craft's readiness for departure. Ecksfive had left the boarding ramp open, letting Joshua and Allia clamber inside.

"What about Arluin?" Allia asked as Joshua hit the controls to close the ramp.

"He'll have to find another way out of here," Joshua answered as the ramp sealed shut. They turned and rushed their way to the cockpit where Ecksfive had already plugged himself in. Strapping down in the pilot's seat, Joshua called up readouts of the _Fate's_ systems. "He's got Savior with him. They'll get another ship."

Allia sat down in the chair next to him. "We're leaving him here?!"

Joshua looked into her eyes, his dark brow furrowed. "Those Stormtroopers are going to be all over us in a matter of seconds. We go now or not at all."

Allia hung her head, looking resigned. Joshua wanted to reach over and hold her close and tell her that everything was going to be fine, but it simply wasn't the time for that sort of thing. He returned his attention to the dashboard.

"Ecksfive, open the bay doors!"

With a confirming twitter, Ecksfive activated the remote controls that dictated the hangar bay entry. The roof of the structure split down the middle as the two massive bay doors began sliding apart, exposing _Hadwin's Fate _to bright sunlight.

An explosion sounded below as the Stormtroopers finally forced their way into the building. Immediately the white-armored troopers turned their blasters on the _Fate,_ peppering it with laser bolts. The freighter's shields and plating deflected most of the small-arms fire—but it wouldn't hold out forever.

Without waiting for the doors to fully open, Joshua fired the ship's ventral thrusters. Slowly but steadily, _Hadwin's Fate_ began to lift off the ground. The strain on the old freighter's systems caused the engine to whine and scream like a wounded animal, but the craft held together. Joshua carefully directed it upward until it had enough space to clear the bay, then pointed its nose toward the sky and threw the throttle forward. With a roar that echoed through the skyscrapers of Nar Shaddaa, the thrusters of _Hadwin's Fate_ burned like twin suns and catapulted the freighter into the atmosphere.

As Arluin and Savior rounded the corner of an apartment building, the block-like hangar bay finally came into view. Arluin stopped for a breather and felt a wave of relief—soon they would be with their friends again, in the safety of the _Fate's_ hold. Their troubles on Nar Shaddaa were almost at an end.

The distant roar of a familiar engine made Arluin look up. Gazing skywards, he saw the orange thruster flare of _Hadwin's Fate_ as the ship departed from the planet—without him or Savior. Almost running forward in panic, Arluin's mind went into chaos as he watched the ship get farther and farther away until he couldn't see it anymore. Then, he nearly collapsed.

He and Savior were stranded on Nar Shaddaa.

* * *

><p>4<p>

Reina tapped her nails against the cold metal of the _Executioner's_ scanner controls, staring with barely contained fury. Next to her, a nervous officer was trying to prevent himself from trembling uncontrollably—and failing.

"Why is the ship known as _Hadwin's Fate_ currently flying past our blockade and out of the system?" the Shield of the Empire snarled, upper lip curling.

"M-my Lady," the officer stammered, "the freighter took us by surprise. We did not expect it to possess the speed it does—"

"That's because you didn't listen to me!" Reina reached up and slapped the man across the face, causing him to stumble backward and hit the deck. Every eye in the bridge was suddenly turned on her. Reina addressed the whole crew as the anger bubbled over yet again.

"I warned you not to underestimate them! What is it going to take to get through your thick skulls that the Rebels are not the mindless rats that you think they are?!" Reina returned her stare to the scanner officer cowering on the deck before her. She was beginning to understand why Admiral Merik enjoyed shooting his subordinates.

Captain Forer plucked up his courage and hurried to Reina's side. "Shall we send a pursuit team after them, my Lady?"

Reina tore her gaze away from the terrified man to look at Forer, and then took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and tried to calm down. She had had Arluin in her grasp, and now he was—

Reina's thought process halted. She couldn't feel Arluin's presence on the _Fate. _That meant…

"My Lady?" Forer was staring uneasily at her. Reina snapped out of it.

"He's not on that ship," she said coldly. "He's still on the planet. We haven't lost him yet."

"And what about the freighter?" Forer asked.

"I'll send someone after it," Reina stated. "For now, keep deploying your men down to the surface. We have to find my brother!"

* * *

><p>Allia peered out of <em>Hadwin's<em> _Fate's_ viewscreen. The Star Destroyer blockade was behind them now, and it continued to get smaller and smaller every second as Joshua put as much distance between them and Nar Shaddaa as possible.

"They're not launching pursuit fighters," she observed. "Why are they letting us go this easily?"

"Don't question it," Joshua said shortly, his eyes still locked onto the dash. "This is the first break we've had in a long time."

Allia slumped back down in the co-pilot's seat, exhausted. "They must have known Arluin isn't with us. They want him more than they want us."

Joshua tapped open a diagnostic readout and checked the damage to the _Fate._ "Arluin will be fine. Don't worry about him." He sighed. "Looks like we strained the engines too much by taking off in such a hurry. The old systems are starting to break down. They'll last a little longer, but they're gonna need serious attention—and we don't own half the necessary repair parts." He leaned back in the pilot's seat and scratched his dark hair. "We need to dock somewhere."

"We don't even know where General Viktor and the Fleet are right now," Allia said, "so we're going to have to find a planet that will service a Rebel ship."

Joshua chuckled tiredly. "Easier said than done."

Ecksfive let out a long string of beeps and whistles, and Allia's eyes grew wide. Joshua looked back and forth between Twi'lek and droid. "What system is he talking about?"

"Of course!" Allia exclaimed. "Mon Gazza!" When Joshua arched his brow in confusion, she went on. "An old friend of Barret's, Baxter Raleigh, works at a spice mine on the planet Mon Gazza. He might be willing to help us."

"What is this Baxter like?" Joshua queried.

Allia shook her head. "Honestly, I'm not too sure. The last time I saw him I was just a kid. It's been years. But Mon Gazza is only loosely controlled by the Imperials, so this is probably our best chance."

Joshua crossed his arms and was silent for a moment. Then he shrugged. "Well, I don't have a better plan. Ecksfive, set course for Mon Gazza."

* * *

><p>As dawn slowly crept into Nar Shaddaa, a <em>Lambda<em> shuttle screamed a few meters over Arluin's head, and the young Jedi reflexively ducked down. The Imperial transport was flying almost dangerously low, and it had to have seen him. Arluin cursed under his breath and picked up his pace, ignoring the pain in his wounded leg. Behind him, Savior warbled and increased her speed as well, trying to keep up with her master.

A dozen thoughts raced through Arluin's head. What chiefly concerned him at the moment was finding a flight-capable transport that would serve in being his way off Nar Shaddaa. After he had watched the _Fate_ blast off into the atmosphere, his mind had gone back to the Quarren pilot he had seen in the streets just hours before. Before Stormtroopers had gunned down the alien, he had mentioned being the pilot of a ship named the _Ebony Jewel_. _Since the Quarren is dead, his ship should be ownerless,_ Arluin thought. _I just hope it isn't a pile of scrap._

Arluin had instructed Savior to access Nar Shaddaa's holonet and locate the _Jewel. _Luckily, the Quarren had docked his ship not too far from their present location, and Jedi and droid were both en route to its hangar. Unfortunately for them both, every Stormtrooper in the city was now heading to them—and judging by the proximity of the shuttle that had flown over them, they were getting much closer.

The duo rounded a corner and spotted their destination—one of the numerous public hangars that dotted Nar Shaddaa. Arluin was pleased to see that the Stormtroopers hadn't arrived yet. Making their way inside, the pair located the docking bay that contained the _Ebony Jewel._ As they hurried in, Arluin got his first look at the ship—and he didn't like what he saw.

The _Ebony Jewel_ was settled in the center of the hangar, hunched over and squatting on three short landing struts. It was not a tall ship—barely the height of two full-grown men. It had the appearance of a large, rectangular, gray box, with a smaller box welded onto the front that had to be the cockpit. The entire vessel was colored a dull gray, with no stripes or markings to be seen. A single wing jutted out from the right side, sporting a mounted laser cannon. A lone, lopsided thruster occupied the rear of the ship, and a sliding hatch on the port airlock hung open, inviting them in.

"It's not an _Ebony Jewel,_ more like an _Ebony Junkpile,_" Arluin muttered under his breath. He shook his head—he hadn't been hoping for a luxury cruiser, but the so-called _Jewel_ looked like it could barely lift itself off the ground. _Of course, _he thought, _the _Fate_ doesn't look like much either. It should have taught me not to judge by appearance by now. _He heaved a sigh.

The sounds of Stormtrooper communications snapped Arluin out of his thoughts. "Get on board, Savior!" he yelled. "Those Imps aren't gonna wait to let us pick our favorite ship!" Savior warbled a hasty affirmative and rolled up the boarding ramp. Arluin followed, sliding the hatch closed behind her.

Leaving his droid behind in the ship's hold, Arluin raced to the cramped one-man cockpit and strapped himself in. Looking over the vehicle's controls, he found that they were simple enough that he could guess what function each button or lever performed. His touching what he thought to be the ignition and liftoff controls were rewarded with the furious sound of his new vessel's startup. _Well, we know she can achieve takeoff, _he thought as they slowly started to rise off of the hangar bay floor. _But will she have the speed to break through that blockade?_

Below them, the Stormtroopers finally made it into the bay. Raising their carbines to the sky, they blasted at the departing ship. Luckily, the _Ebony Jewel's_ armor plating was enough to hold off small arms fire, and no real damage was done.

Once they had achieved sufficient altitude, Arluin prepared to blast out of the atmosphere of Nar Shaddaa when a flashing button on the dash spotted his eye. Not seeing any readouts to tell him what the button did but deciding it was probably necessary for extraplanetary travel, Arluin thumbed the control. He flinched as a grinding noise filled the cockpit. Behind him, the entire body of the _Jewel_ rotated clockwise. Savior screeched as the hold tilted to one side, gravity generators adjusting to compensate for the change. The cockpit and Arluin remained level with the horizon, but the sole wing jutting out from the right of the spacecraft was now pointing directly down, with the entry hatch facing the morning sky.

_This is one bizarre ship,_ Arluin mused to himself as he punched the controls forward. The now-righted thruster on the _Jewel's _tail burned a bright orange and blasted them away from the planet at a fantastic speed.

As they came closer and closer to space, Arluin experienced the familiar shaking of atmospheric friction. Peering out before him, he could see the infamous triangle shaped Imperial cruisers growing larger as he flew headlong toward them. He held his breath and prepared to use evasive maneuvers to dodge whatever his enemies were going to throw at them.

Within a minute they were on top of the Star Destroyers. Cannon fire erupted all over the blockade, and energy bolts streamed toward the _Ebony Jewel. _Arluin noted with disdain that the lasers were not typical bolts, but ion bolts, designed to wipe out electrical systems aboard starships. The Empire was trying to take them alive, and the young rebel had a pretty fair idea why. _You won't find me easy prey,_ he thought angrily, and swung the ship on a wild trajectory intended to throw the Destroyers' guns off target. He tried to do a barrel roll, and was surprised when the cockpit section stayed locked in position and the rest of the ship spun around. Whoever had designed the _Ebony Jewel_ had made sure that her pilot wouldn't be thrown off kilter in a heated firefight. Arluin was impressed.

Using this unique ability of his commandeered vessel to his advantage, he quickly outmaneuvered the slow, clunky cannons of the Star Destroyers and soared past the blockade. Thrilled at his own success, Arluin felt a broad smile come to his face. He cheered loudly and was answered by a whoop from his faithful droid. Directing the nose of the starship into open space, he opened the throttle to its full extent and headed out into the vast unknown.

* * *

><p>Reina Starfire had watched her brother's stolen ship escape the planet from the viewport of the <em>Executioner.<em> She had known that as soon as he had acquired a spaceworthy vessel, it had been too late to capture him—at least for now. Indeed, his luck in finding a ship with the power to outrun a blockade was impossibly good but completely out of her control. Captain Forer was happily surprised to not find a green lightsaber sticking through his chest after he had told Reina the bad news.

While she was capable of getting very angry when reports were unfavorable, Reina did not feel that she had to kill crewmen unnecessarily. That was a waste of both good men and good anger—two things she would rather use to hunt down the rebels. Besides, she could sympathize with the men under her command—she had to report to someone as well, and as Reina strode down the dark halls of the _Executioner_ toward the communications room, she felt a pit in her gut that only came to her when she had to address her superior—and especially when she had to tell him she'd let him down.

Entering the comms room, Reina opened up a holochannel to the one she served. A few moments later, a transparent blue hologram of her master's visage appeared in front of her. He was old, but also powerful and strong, and the lines on his face contrasted with his firm jaw line and furrowed brow. But the most distinguishing feature of Admiral Merik were his cold blue eyes, eyes that now pierced their way into Reina's core and chilled her like no others could.

"Greetings, Reina," Merik said, foregoing the use of her title. He was the only one besides the Emperor and Lord Vader who could get away with doing so. "How goes the search for your brother?"

The Shield of the Empire lowered her eyes. "I regret to inform you that Arluin has escaped Nar Shaddaa, despite the best efforts of Captain Forer and myself." Reina bowed her head. "I await whatever punishment you deem fit to serve me."

A small, kind grin came to the image of Merik's face. "No punishment needed, child. Your brother's ability to evade capture is commendable, and there is no shame in losing him again. It merely means we must change the game. This is an excellent opportunity to hone your skills and abilities, my agent."

Reina looked back up, determination on her face once more. "Shall I send a pursuit team after him, Admiral?"

Merik put a hand to his chin, thinking. "No, I think not. Arluin is especially adept at besting our tactics that involve overwhelming force. No, I think that we should try something different this time." An idea seemed to come to the Admiral. "What would you say are your brother's greatest weaknesses?"

The female Starfire pondered this for a moment. "His loyalty and attachment to his friends hinder him greatly." She folded her arms. "Also, I am still under the assumption that he strongly believes I can be turned back to who I used to be."

"And can you be turned?"

Reina stiffened slightly but showed no other signs of reaction. "No, of course not. My brother is a fool for thinking so."

The Admiral grinned again, this time more malevolently. "Indeed. Arluin wastes much time and energy in pursuit of the impossible. Now, should this be used against him…"

"He would be far easier to capture and turn," Reina stated darkly. "But how will we accomplish such a thing?"

Merik's grin widened. "You said earlier that your brother is extremely devoted to his friends. If they were to be placed in peril, and Arluin came to know about it…"

Suddenly, Merik's plan made sense to Reina. "A trap."

"Exactly."

"Barret Hadwin is already held by us," Reina reminded the Admiral. "I could use him as bait."

Merik shook his head. "I would rather have Hadwin stay aboard the Executioner. As a pilot, he is very valuable to the Rebel Alliance and could potentially be used as a bargaining chip. His colleagues, however, that boy and the Twi'lek girl, would be very efficient to drawing in Arluin."

The Shield nodded. "I'll send out someone to find them immediately. They shouldn't be hard to track."

The old Admiral looked pleased. "Very well. Remember, though, that once they are in your grasp, the more torturing they go through, the sooner Arluin will come to them."

"Yes, Admiral."

"Immense pain followed by execution should be nothing less than what is required to pull him into the trap."

Reina's spine went cold. "I understand."

The image of Merik faded and vanished. Reina banished the feeling of dread from her body. Joshua and Allia were no longer important to her. All that mattered was getting Arluin to join the Empire.

Reina tapped the comm controls and entered a special code. The image of a Stormtrooper appeared before her. This particular Stormtrooper was no ordinary Imperial soldier, however.

"Imperial Commando 2117 reporting for duty, my Lady," the Trooper flatly stated.

"Greetings, Archer," Reina said, using the Commando's nickname. "I've got a very special job for you…"


	2. Act 2 (Chapters 5-8)

5

The rocky, brown-orange surface of Mon Gazza streamed by as _Hadwin's Fate_ tore through the hot, arid air. The sound of the disk-shaped freighter's engines bellowed in the atmosphere, and the bright sun glinted off its metallic skin. Inside the ship, its two organic occupants were once again engaged in a cold argument.

"Look, I understand that you think your friend is here," Joshua said slowly. He'd started having second thoughts about this decision as soon as they had arrived in-system. "But frankly, your information is outdated and could be wrong. We might be flying into a hostile spaceport."

"We're not," Allia snapped. While she had spun the co-pilot chair around to face him, Joshua remained staring out of the viewport, his hands manipulating the _Fate's_ controls to guide her over the desertlike terrain. "Baxter's here. I'm absolutely sure of it. Besides, don't we need replacement parts for the _Fate,_ anyway?"

Joshua grimaced. "Desperately. But I don't trust landing her in unknown territory. We might lose her altogether."

"It'll be fine. You worry too much." Allia swiveled her chair to return to the co-pilot's controls. "Zugga Spaceport is within range. I've got a nice, cheap landing zone picked out just for us."

Joshua took a deep, frustrated breath. "I hope you know what you're doing." He altered the _Fate's_ course to begin their descent. Through the viewport, the spaceport became visible, a decent-sized mix of low, flat buildings and tall industrial structures. The setting sun illuminated the city, casting orange rays through the taller factories.

Allia smirked slightly. "Don't I always?"

Next to her, plugged into his station, Ecksfive hooted softly in amusement.

With a massive roar, _Hadwin's Fate_ sped to the city, getting ever lower as the freighter prepared to meet the ground once more.

* * *

><p>Light-years away from the giant dust ball that was Mon Gazza, another peculiar ship lugged its way through space.<p>

All was quiet aboard the _Ebony Jewel_ save for the soft hum of the starship's engines. Setting the ship to autopilot, Arluin stepped out of the boxy cabin through a connecting tube and into the main hold. The interior of his stolen vessel was now at a ninety-degree angle compared to the cockpit, and when Arluin entered, he experienced a moment of vertigo as the _Jewel's_ artificial gravity changed and anchored him to the deck.

Savior rolled forward and warbled a question. "A Dejarik board? Sure, let's have a game," Arluin answered. Playing the hologame required a cool head and strong calculations, and would help him meditate on his current situation. Arluin followed Savior to where the ship's previous owner had installed the checkered gameboard next to some seats, wrapped his wounded leg in a bacta gauze, and sat down to relax.

Savior powered up the game, and small, holographic monsters appeared on the board. Arluin brushed his hands off on his worn and torn jumpsuit, which reminded him of the damage Savior had sustained on Nar Shaddaa. Looking her over, he took in the scrapes, dents, and carbon scoring covering his friend, and made a mental note to fix her as soon as possible.

The droid and her master took turns maneuvering the creatures to attack their opponents. Savior beeped another question.

"Yes, I know where we're going," Arluin replied. "There's really only one place we can go, anyway, since we have no clue to where the others might have gone."

Savior moved her monster two squares closer to Arluin's and asked where that might be.

"Katarr. I promised I'd return to Master Paian when I could, and now seems as good a time as any." The dead planet was the hiding place of Jedi Master Pando Paian, an Ithorian who had helped Arluin and his sister hone their Jedi abilities. The last time Arluin had been there, the old Master had instructed Arluin to safeguard Reina and "keep her on the path of the Light." Guilt invaded the young Jedi as he recounted his failure. He hugged his legs to his chest and rested his head on his knees, a brooding expression overcoming his face. He didn't notice as Savior wiped out his holographic monsters and won the game. The droid took notice of her master's change of mood and inquired what was wrong.

Arluin shook his head. "Just the usual. The sooner we get to Katarr, the better." He hoped that the wise old Jedi Master would be able to help him. If he couldn't, then he had no idea who could.

Hours later, the _Ebony Jewel_ tore through the atmosphere of Katarr and descended into the forest of crumbling skyscrapers and abandoned streets. Seeking out a small, flat building amidst the empty ruins, the squat ship extended her stubby landing struts and touched down. The vessel's side hatch opened and Arluin stepped out onto the ashy surface of Katarr.

Nearby, a cloaked, hunched figure hobbled out of the small structure to greet the new arrival. Arluin strode forward to meet the being, and as Master Pando Paian lowered his hood to reveal his mottled, pale, hammerheaded features, the young Jedi felt his spirits rise just a little.

Paian's wide hand and four long, wrinkly fingers grasped Arluin's own in a firm but gentle handshake of recognition. "Welcome back, young Starfire," Paian's voice echoed in Arluin's mind. Paian's telepathy was necessary—his mouths had been ruined in battle, and the Jedi Master relied on the Force to speak to others. Though it had been unnerving at first, Arluin was long used to this form of communication.

The Ithorian's bright eyes sagged slightly. "I sense much pain and despair in you, Arluin," Paian said. "What burdens you so?"

Arluin sighed heavily. "A lot's happened since I was last here, Master," he confessed. "Thing's haven't exactly been going well for me."

"Come inside, my young apprentice," the elder Jedi offered warmly. "Tell me of your trials." Paian gestured to his small hovel, and the two Jedi entered the dwelling, Savior following close behind.

Once inside, Arluin took a seat on the cold stone floor at a small table in the center of the one-room house. Paian sat opposite him, and Savior rolled herself next to her master.

Arluin took a deep breath and lowered his eyes. "I suppose you're wondering why Reina isn't here."

Paian slowly shook his head. "There is no need for me to wonder."

Arluin looked back up at the aging Jedi. "So you know, then."

The Ithorian dipped his head in a solemn nod. "When your sister turned away from us, I felt a terrible disturbance in the Force. I knew at once what had happened."

Arluin eyes suddenly filled with tears, and it surprised him so much that he could barely hold them back. "I'm sorry, Master Paian," he stammered. "I tried—I did everything I could—"

"Do not blame yourself, Arluin," Paian consoled him. "The fault is not yours. Reina has decided upon her path. You could have advised her all you like, but in the end, the choice was hers." He heaved a sigh. "You must release this guilt you carry," he said gravely. "It will only lead you down a path all too similar to your sister's."

Arluin wanted to protest, to claim that Paian was wrong and Reina's downfall was all his fault, but he held back. Deep down, he knew that the elder Jedi was right, and besides, doing so would achieve nothing. "What should I do now?" he asked.

Paian stroked his alien chin with long, crooked fingers. "How strong has your connection to the Force been lately?"

"Not strong at all," Arluin admitted. "Ever since Reina joined the Empire, I've found it impossible to call upon the Force for help."

"As I thought," Paian stated. "Tragic events such as the one you have recently experienced can cause such internal turmoil that it can hinder and even cut off a Jedi's relationship with the Force." He nodded again. "It is my opinion that you should remain here with me for some time, and continue your Jedi training in order to heal your connection to the Force."

Arluin considered this for a moment. While he could leave Katarr and search for Joshua and Allia, but he had no idea where they might be, and without his Force powers he'd be in trouble if he ran into the Empire. It didn't take him long to decide.

"Very well. I'll stay here for a while."

Paian's eyes twinkled. "Excellent. We have much to do."

* * *

><p>Zugga Spaceport was no friend to refugees.<p>

"Does everything here smell of spice?" Allia complained, her blue face wrinkling in disgust. All around her, Joshua, and Ecksfive, massive factories, mines, smelters, and other industrial buildings chugged away on their daily business, struggling to meet the spaceport's production quota.

"It's a spice mine planet," Joshua retaliated. "It's naturally going to smell of spice." The three rebel refugees trudged through the narrow, crowded streets that were packed with ragged, dust-covered inhabitants as well as travelers such as themselves.

Ecksfive hooted something about the bliss of not being able to smell.

"Let's just find Baxter," Allia grumbled. "The sooner we get out of here, the better."

"Coming here was your idea, remember?" Joshua reminded her.

"Shut up." Allia glanced at the datapad she had brought along with her. "According to Barret's records, Baxter is still working at the Tranya Mine. He's the foreman, in fact." She scrolled through the files displayed on the pad's screen. "Tranya isn't exactly a well-known mine around here. We shouldn't have too much of a problem getting to talk to him."

Joshua nodded. "It's best if we don't draw much attention. We're lucky the Imperials haven't tracked us here yet."

* * *

><p>Far above the streets of Zugga Spaceport, a shady craft jumped out of hyperspace and began to descend to the red-orange planet. The ship bore the dark markings of the Empire and looked like a larger, sleeker TIE Fighter. Indeed, the ship was related to the Twin Ion Engine craft used by the Imperial Navy, but its purpose was altogether different. This ship, a TIE Hunter, was specially equipped to track, hunt down, and kill any and all targets it was sent after. The specialized TIE boasted minimal living quarters, a cargo hold, hyperdrive capabilities, tracking equipment, cloaking devices, signal jammers—more or less anything an assassin needed to successfully carry out a mission.<p>

Aboard the TIE Hunter, Imperial Commando 2117 examined several different readouts and displays. The Commando, nicknamed "Archer," was one of the last of his kind; a soldier specifically bred to carry out the most dangerous and secretive missions. Long ago, before the Empire had come into existence, Archer had served with his squadmates in the Grand Army of the Republic—but those days were long since past, and his squad was very, very dead.

Using the Hunter's tracking equipment, Archer quickly pinpointed the location of his target, the Rebel vessel _Hadwin's Fate_. Picking out an open dock, he landed his ship and prepared to go after his quarry. A rush of adrenaline flooded him as it always did before the hunt. That rush was the only thing Archer felt anymore. He had long ago abandoned the emotions that hindered him from completing his job.

Getting out of the pilot's chair, 2117 made his way to the Hunter's cargo hold. The Commando slipped on his armor, a suit of elite Stormtrooper armor painted jet-black and filled to the brim with advanced tracking systems, comms suites, and vision modes. His weapon, which he retrieved from its place on its rack, was no less specialized. The DC-20 was an interchangeable weapons system that used minimal parts and maximum efficiency to quickly switch from a repeating blaster, a sniper rifle, and a grenade launcher. For now, Archer conformed it to its sniper mode—his own personal favorite.

After double-checking all his gear, the Commando exited the TIE Hunter and made for the hangar bay doors. As he did so, a Sullustan spaceport official came up to confront him. The short, big-eared alien would most likely want to extract payment from Archer for using his landing bay. The Commando had other ideas.

Before the Sullustan could jabber off anything, Archer flashed a hologram of the Imperial insignia from his helmet display, which quickly caught the alien's attention.

"Imperial business," Archer stated in his raspy voice. "I don't have time for this. Do you?"

The spaceport official took the hint immediately and wisely backed off, leaving Archer to go about his business. Beneath his pitch-black helmet, 2117 smirked. Not a day went by that he didn't love his job.

* * *

><p>6<p>

As the sound of thunder rolled in over the decaying skyscrapers of Katarr, Arluin nearly collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. His training had been going well—Paian had given him two metal blades in lieu of his missing Lightsabers to practice melee combat against a dummy, and he had performed admirably in that aspect. But when it was time for him to call upon the Force, the training became much harder. For hours he had been struggling to raise the _Ebony Jewel_ from the ground using the Force as Master Paian had instructed him, but so far he just hadn't been able to accomplish the task. Attempting to call upon the Force and failing each time was taking its toll on the young Jedi.

"I…I can't do it," Arluin panted. "It's too heavy. I'm not strong enough."

"Those who tell themselves they are not strong enough shall never be able to take charge of their own lives, much less save the lives of those they care about," Paian stated wisely. "You must keep trying."

Arluin nodded, mustered up the last of his strength, focused on the lopsided ship, and stretched out again. In his mind, he saw the _Ebony Jewel_ floating through the air, carried only by the power of the Force, and willed it to make it happen—but just as all the other times before, a mental wall rose up to prevent him from carrying it out. Arluin struggled against the resistance, trying with all his might to break through the wall, but it did not budge. Finally, his stamina gave out, and he fell to his knees, exhausted.

"I'm sorry, Master," he apologized. "I'm giving it all I've got."

Paian kneeled down next to Arluin and rested a knobby white hand on his shoulder. "I know, my young, apprentice," he said. "Your determination is admirable." The old Jedi Master paused for a moment, looking over his tired apprentice. "But perhaps a short rest is indeed in order."

Arluin half sat up and took a swig of water from a canteen he had acquired from the _Ebony Jewel's_ storage. His slightly baggy new clothes (also taken from the _Jewel _and a size larger than him) were a nice change from the torn, bloodied, and sweat-drenched jumpsuit he had been wearing earlier. Nearby, Savior was connected to a mobile generator, charging her power supply. Arluin looked her over and regretted not being able to repair her damaged frame yet.

Standing up again, Paian gazed up at the dark clouds overhead, lost in thought. Flashes of light here and there barely foretold the lighting of the coming thunderstorm.

"Your emotions are hindering your connection to the Force even more than I had imagined," he said in a concerned tone. "This will slow our progress by a substantial amount."

Arluin got to his feet and walked over to Savior. The droid looked up at him and chirped.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to save anyone if I can't use the Force," he lamented. "Let alone Barret—or Reina."

"Patience, Arluin," Paian answered, joining his apprentice. "Keep pushing forward, and you will once again find the Force. You must not give up."

Arluin nodded halfheartedly and looked away. Paian studied his furrowed brow knowingly.

"Something troubles you at this moment. What it is?" the old Ithorian inquired.

Arluin thought for a moment, trying to decide how to best voice his feelings. Finally he asked, "Master Paian, there are things I need to know. I've got a lot of questions that need answering."

"Then ask away, my young apprentice."

The Jedi-in-training considered what to ask first. There were so many things he wanted to know, things that had occupied his mind since Reina had betrayed him. Arluin then realized what his first question would be.

"The man who lured Reina to the Dark Side—Merik. Who is he?"

"Merik." Paian's eyes narrowed. "He is an old enemy of the Jedi. He hated them even before the Empire came to power. Now, he serves the Emperor by killing or corrupting Jedi who survived the Purge."

"Why does he hate the Jedi so much?" Arluin asked.

"It is a long story," Paian admitted. "But the reason does not matter. Merik must be stopped soon. I am lucky enough to have avoided him so far, but you and Reina were unfortunately not so lucky."

Hearing his sister's name only deepened Arluin's confusion. "Why Reina? Why us?"

The bone-white Ithorian looked up to the sky. "Some beings would call it fate. A Jedi knows that fate is an illusion. There is only the Force, binding everything and everyone together."

Arluin secretly wished his master would stop speaking in riddles. "You're saying Reina and I are linked to Merik somehow?"

Paian looked at him, caution in his eyes. "Arluin, before I say more, you must remember that a Jedi does not hate. He does not succumb to anger, and he does not act out of revenge. These things lead to the Dark Side."

A pit formed in Arluin's gut. "Go on."

Paian heaved a sigh, and then confessed. "Merik was the one who killed your mother."

Arluin almost fell over. "What?!" Shock rolled through him. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?!"

"Because you both would have acted hastily and rashly, something we could not afford!" Paian's Force-voice was agitated, and Arluin was somewhat frightened at his master's abandonment of his normally calm disposition. He was gesturing wildly with both hands. "You both would have given in to the Dark Side instead of just one of you! Would you rather have had that happen? Would you rather have relinquished all hope of bringing back the Jedi just for the sake of petty revenge?!"

Arluin quailed under his master's newfound anger. Paian noticed this and backed off, forcibly calming himself down. "I am sorry, my student," he apologized. "I am worried by certain recent events and what they might mean for us, but I should not yell at you. You are trying the best you can." Paian rubbed the top of his flat head. "I understand what you may feel toward Merik. I feel the same way. I knew your parents—they were good people."

Arluin's eyebrows arched in surprise. "You knew my parents?"

Paian nodded slowly. "Yes, before the dark times. Their deaths upset me greatly. Sometimes it hurts me more than I care to say."

"That must be why the Force brought us to you, then," Arluin theorized.

Paian nodded again. "Indeed, I knew I would be teaching you one day. I can even see them in you. I take it you are aware of the Lightsaber combat techniques you have picked up?"

Arluin realized his master was speaking of the aggressive dual wielding strategy he favored, and nodded.

"That affinity for using two blades in combat comes from your mother," Paian went on. "She was a Guardian of the Order, and her use of the Ferocity form was feared by her enemies in battle. However, your temperament more resembles your father's. He was quick to care for others, but slow to meet his foes in battle.

"On the other hand, your sister seems to do battle more as he did. I recall that when your father was threatened, he relied less on his Lightsaber and more on the powers of the Force, as the old Consulars would. Both he and she are incredibly powerful Force users—however, without his restraint, she may be much more destructive."

Arluin had one more question to ask. "What is my purpose in life?"

Paian gazed at him for a moment before replying. "A hard question to answer. You are inquiring about your destiny—something not easily foretold."

"But you seem to know so much," Arluin protested. "Can't you tell me something to give me some hope, or purpose?"

Paian's gaze left his. "I am not all-knowing, Arluin. I am merely trying to restore the Jedi Order, as I should."

Arluin shook his head. "There's more to it than that. I can feel it. What are you hiding, Master?"

The young Jedi could swear his Master's chalk-white alien face took on a troubled expression. "Your insight serves you well. There is more to our situation than I have said—however, you are not ready to know about it yet."

This frustrated Arluin. "When will I be ready, then?"

Paian's wise eyes met his once again. "You will know."

Arluin said nothing more.

* * *

><p>"This is it," Allia stated. Looking up from her datapad to the rusted building in front of her, she confirmed it to be the home of Baxter Raleigh. Behind her, Joshua shifted his weight from one foot to another, and Ecksfive let out a short warble. After a few hours, the trio had finally made it to their destination.<p>

"This is the last chance to change your mind, you know," Joshua quipped.

Allia glared at him. "We're talking to Baxter, and that's final."

Joshua shrugged. "Whatever you say, your majesty."

Ecksfive gave a chortle of amusement.

With an irritated huff, Allia removed her attention from Joshua and pressed the house's electronic doorbell. For a few seconds, there was no response. Then, loud footsteps were heard behind the door, and suddenly it swung open, revealing the man on the other side.

Joshua slowly took in the appearance of Baxter Raleigh. He was a thick man, covered in a bulk that was a mix of muscle and the results of what one might call a healthy appetite. His black-brown hair had streaks of gray in it, and was cut short almost like a soldier's. His face was as scarred and dirty as his old miner's uniform. His beady blue eyes swept over the people on his doorstep, and he scratched his chin, which was covered in facial hair that was in the middle of transitioning from stubble to beard. There was a long moment of silence. Finally, Baxter spoke.

"Do I know you?" he asked in his deep, scratchy voice.

"You're Baxter Raleigh, right?" Allia inquired.

One of Baxter's eyebrows arched. "Aye," he replied.

Allia indicated herself. "I'm Allia Hadwin, Barret Hadwin's sister. This is Joshua Pendraham, and you must remember Ecksfive. We need your help."

Baxter's gaze moved toward the Astromech droid, and he barked a laugh. "Ecksfive, old boy! Good to see you're still holding together!"

Ecksfive popped and whistled, indicating his happiness at seeing his old friend again. Baxter shoved past a stunned Allia and bent down in front of the droid, looking him over. "You're just as filthy as you were back on Cato Nemoidia, you dog! Tell me, is Barret still making you help him fly that old clunker, _Hadwin's Fate_?"

Joshua glanced at Allia. "Well, he is certainly quite the character," he muttered. Allia shot him an angry look, and then cleared her throat.

"Uh, Baxter…about—"

Baxter looked up at her. "Right. Barret's sister. Whatcha' needin' me help for?" His brow furrowed crossly. "Barret ain't here to collect on one of his old debts, is he? He told me he cleared me of those!"

Allia crossed her arms. "Barret's currently being held captive by the Empire, actually."

Baxter's expression morphed into shock. "Oh." He scratched the back of his neck. "Um, sorry to hear that."

Joshua spoke up. "Sir, _Hadwin's Fate_ is damaged and we can't leave until it's repaired. We were hoping you could help us fix her, or at least acquire some new parts."

Baxter stared at Joshua as if seeing him for the first time, and then looked at Allia. "You lot still in with the Rebels?"

Allia nodded. "Yes. We need the parts so we can make contact with them."

Baxter scratched his half-beard in thought again. "Hmmm. That complicates matters a bit." Finally, he shrugged and sighed. "Sorry, girl, I can't help ya'."

Allia's face fell. "What?! But if you don't help us, we'll never get out of here!"

"There's no one else we can go to," Joshua added. Ecksfive bleeped his own input.

Stepping back into his doorway, Baxter held out his hands in front of him in a defensive position. "Look, I had enough of the Rebels and the Empire and the war. Besides, I've got a good setup here. I worked hard to become foreman of this mine, and I'm making the money to show it! Now please, leave."

"What about Barret? He's probably being tortured!" Joshua pleaded.

"That's not me problem! I knew that would happen if we stayed with the Rebels, but Barret didn't listen to me!" Baxter shouted. "You aren't me problem either! Get offa' me property!"

"But—" Allia started to protest, but Baxter just got angrier.

"I said go! And don't let me see your faces around here again!" And he slammed the door in front of them, locking it quickly.

"Some friend," Joshua said under his breath. Allia's shoulders sagged, and then bunched in anger. Joshua tried to put an arm around her to comfort her, but she shrugged it off and began heading back to the docking bay. Joshua and Ecksfive exchanged glances, and followed after her.

* * *

><p>Inside the dusty home, Baxter opened one of his window shades just enough to peek out and watch Allia, Joshua, and Ecksfive leave. Part of him felt guilty for refusing to aid Barret's sister and her friends, but he had his own life now, and he was determined to live it.<p>

As he turned away, he noticed something strange—a glint of light atop a nearby building. Squinting, Baxter could make out a man in pitch-black body armor. The man was watching the trio through the scope of his sniper rifle and was completely undetected by them. But that wasn't what stirred up Baxter's emotions.

On the man's shoulder was an Imperial insignia.

Baxter stared at the Stormtrooper and scowled.

* * *

><p>The metal corridors of the <em>Executioner<em> seemed colder to Reina than usual.

She was half-slumped in a chair in the Interdictor's communications room. As she waited for word from Archer, there had been little to occupy the dark Jedi's mind. Her thoughts seemed intent on straying back to various things she would prefer not to think about. It was consuming all of her willpower just to avoid dwelling upon Arluin or anything related to him.

_You made your choice, Reina,_ she thought to herself. _Now be a big girl and stick to it._

It was true that becoming the Shield of the Empire had been one of the most lucrative choices she had ever made. Before meeting Admiral Merik, she had only been a creditless refugee constantly on the run, never getting any time to settle down and indulge in herself.

Now, however, she could do and have almost anything she wanted. Should she desire rich foods, quality entertainment, or fine company, all she had to do was ask, and the Empire's coffers were at her disposal. Entire armies were ready to answer her beck and call. If someone or something stood in her way, all she had to do was point a finger and legions of Stormtroopers, squadrons of TIE Fighters, and fleets of Star Destroyers would efficiently remove the problem. Or she could deal with the situation personally—her growing strength in the Dark Side of the Force had taught her many powerful abilities. Men feared and respected her, and there were only three beings in the galaxy she was required to answer to—Merik, Lord Vader, and the Emperor himself.

_But what is it all worth?_, she asked herself. _I betrayed people who counted on me—for what? _She reminded herself that she was helping restore order and peace to the galaxy by removing chaos-loving threats like her brother. Her face scrunched up in anger again. She would never understand why Arluin had chosen to become her enemy, but it didn't matter—if he was not with her, he was against her, and if that was the way it had to be, then let it be. Reina was not weak, and she would be victorious.

_Even if it means killing Arluin._

The thought surged up without her bidding and stuck there. Unable to fight it back any longer, she gave up and let her emotions wash over her. Guilt and sorrow flooded her, followed by anger and rage. Sinking even deeper into the black chair, she covered her face in her hands. But Reina did not cry—she refused to let herself cry. If she cried, it would mean that her regret for her actions was stronger than her dedication to the Empire, and that was simply not acceptable.

_I chose this path, and I _will _make the most of it._

The communicator rang. Sitting back up in the chair, Reina composed herself and banished her emotions away once more. Pressing a button, she answered the call. A hologram of Archer appeared before her.

"My Lady," the commando reported. "I have the targets in my sights."

Icy anticipation filled Reina's chest. "Excellent work, Archer. You may proceed when ready."

* * *

><p>Ecksfive was already onboard the <em>Fate<em> and socketed into his copilot station as Joshua and Allia ran more thorough analyses over their ship's systems. Underneath the engine section, Joshua slid a panel back into place and turned to Allia, who was gazing back out through the hangar bay exit.

"Looks like our estimations of the damage our engines took was just about right," he said solemnly. "They won't be able to get us away from the planet, not in their condition."

Allia shook her head in confusion, waggling her head-tails. "I just don't understand. He and Barret go way back. How could he just abandon us?"

Joshua sighed heavily. "Look, we don't need that scum's help. We'll find a way." He felt less than half the confidence that he put into his words.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of rapid, heavy footsteps—and they were getting louder. Someone was running towards them.

"What in space…"

Baxter Raleigh came running around the corner of the hangar bay exit, clutching a long-barreled mining laser.

"Run! Get out of here!," he was yelling. "RUN!"

The two teenagers stood there for a moment in total confusion. Then a glint of light reflecting off a rifle scope caught his eye—

"Allia, _MOVE!"_

He pulled her aside just as the sniper fired his shot. The stun bolt struck the ground where Allia had been standing a moment ago, splashing off the duracrete. As she scrambled aboard the ship, Joshua pulled out his laser pistol and blasted a volley of red bolts in the sniper's direction. Baxter joined in, aiming his improvised weapon and squeezed off a few blasts on its highest setting. Under their combined fire, the sniper was forced to duck down, giving Joshua and Baxter time to climb up _Hadwin's Fate_ boarding ramp. They both raced to the cockpit, where Allia and Ecksfive were already starting up the ship. Allia glanced over her shoulder at Baxter, who was trying to squeeze his wide body into one of the small chairs.

"What's he doing here?" she asked, a look of revulsion on her face.

"I spotted that Imperial sniper watchin' ya as ya left," Baxter said. "Figured ya might want your head still attached to yer shoulders."

"He fired a stun bolt," Allia argued. "He wasn't aiming to kill. The Empire wants us alive!"

"All the same…"

"We appreciate your change of heart, Baxter," Joshua said before Allia could retaliate. "Now let's focus on getting as far away from that Stormtrooper as possible, please?"

* * *

><p>The patched freighter's engine rumbled as it lifted up and blasted out of the hangar bay. Archer watched it go and grumbled to himself. He had not bothered to include the old man in the situation, and it had cost him his kills. He wouldn't make that mistake again.<p>

Wasting no more time, the Commando slung his rifle and raced back to his TIE Hunter. Powering up the ship, he took off in the direction _Hadwin's Fate_ had headed.

* * *

><p>"Will somebody please tell me why we aren't heading for space?" Baxter inquired.<p>

Ecksfive whistled and hooted a response, and Baxter's eyebrows bunched up.

"Ah. Damaged engines. Could be a problem."

Joshua steered the _Fate_ across the brown-orange flats of Mon Gazza. "We'll have to find a place to settle down and make what repairs we can."

A blinking red light on the _Fate's_ dash grabbed Allia's attention. "Easier said than done," she announced. "We've got company!"

* * *

><p>With his superior scanning and tracking devices, it had not taken long for Archer to locate <em>Hadwin's Fate<em>. His TIE Hunter was quickly gaining on the old freighter and moving into attack range. Archer's hand hovered over the controls for the ships' EMP missiles, but he hesitated. If he knocked the ship out of the sky, his targets might not survive the crash, and that would certainly not please Lady Reina.

_Very well then,_ he mused. _I shall have to force them down carefully. Perhaps a potshot to their engines would be enough to persuade them to land._

Inside his black helmet, a small grin played over his face. _This will be a most entertaining pursuit._

* * *

><p><em>Hadwin's Fate <em>shuddered and shook as the TIE's laser bolts buffeted and threatened to blow the ship out of the air.

"Rear deflector shields up at maximum," Allia reported. "But in our condition, they won't last much longer."

Joshua banked left, then right, trying to throw off their attacker. "This is no regular Imperial pilot. He's too good for that." He grimaced as a laser blasted their shields. "Outflying him isn't an option."

"Like we have much of a choice at the moment!" Baxter yelled as he was thrown side to side in his chair.

The _Fate_ soared over one of Mon Gazza's many plateaus and flew into a large dust mesa filled with towering rock spires. Joshua twisted the _Fate _on its side and swerved between gigantic stone features, hoping that he could confuse their pursuer, but the TIE simply echoed their maneuvers, proving that it was just as agile as the rebel freighter. Green laser bolts continued to flash from the black-and-gray Hunter's cannons, impacting on the rock formations around them. Suddenly, one of the towers took a hit at its thinnest, weakest spot, and it started to collapse with an bone-jarring crunching sound.

Allia pointed at the falling spire dead ahead of them. "Look out!"

Joshua's grip on the _Fate's_ steering controls was like a vice as he attempted to change course to avoid the hazard. The rock was too big to fly over in time, which only left the young pilot one option. He thrust the battered ship to its full speed and soared under the gigantic spire just before it hit the ground.

With an earth-shattering crunch, the tall formation connected with the ground and threw whole storms of brown-orange dust into the air. The dust quickly caught up with the _Fate_ and surrounded it, temporarily blinding it. When their vision cleared, the freighter's crew found they were clear of the mesa.

Allia checked their rear-view scanners and found no sight of the TIE. "I think we lost him."

Suddenly, laser bolts blasted at the top of the _Fate's_ hull. Ecksfive screamed and Joshua cursed. The TIE had gone over the falling rock and come at them from above.

"We need a place to hide!" he yelled. Several indicators on the dash were showing that their ship was losing power, and fast.

Baxter looked out the right viewport and spotted several wide holes in the dust plains. "There! Abandoned spice mines!" he shouted back. "We can take cover inside them!"

Joshua didn't have time to decide if the idea was a good one or not. He simply gunned _Hadwin's Fate_ towards the mines Baxter had indicated. Once near one of the gaping mine shafts, Joshua twisted the _Fate_ up, around, and then down, diving into the black maw of the shaft.

The inside of the mine was cavernous, more than big enough to accommodate the freighter. Joshua switched on the _Fate's_ floodlights and carefully navigated them deeper and deeper into the planet.

Allia stared out at the blackness that now swallowed them. "Are you sure this is the best idea?"

Baxter laughed. "That Imp would have to be crazy to follow us down here. These mines are like mazes. He'd never find us by himself."

"Let's hope we'll be able to find our way out," Joshua murmured.

Slowly, inexorably, _Hadwin's Fate_ drove deep into the endless darkness of the mine.

Archer had watched the Rebel ship fly down into the mine and, while he mourned the end of the intense chase, felt a feeling of satisfaction and completion. For he had the Rebels exactly where he wanted them.

Trapped.

* * *

><p>7<p>

_Hadwin's Fate_ rested at the bottom of the belly of the empty spice mine. The freighter's powerful floodlights barely cut through the blackness surrounding it. Inside the ship, the three Rebels and their astromech droid had gathered in the main hold to discuss their predicament.

"This is just great," Baxter grumbled. He shifted his bulk in his slightly-too-small chair. "When I woke up this morning, all I was worried about was cataloguing yesterday's mining results. Then two Rebel kids show up and next thing I know I'm on the run with an Imperial assassin on me behind."

"Complaining won't fix anything, Baxter," Joshua scorned him. "If you're going to spend air talking, you need to be doing it to help us come up with a plan to get out of here."

"Hmph!"

"I, for one," Allia said as she cast an angry sidelong glance at Joshua, "appreciate your help, Baxter. Without you, we'd never seen that assassin coming."

Baxter eyed her with one beady little orb. "Yeah, well, don't get used to it. Once we fly out of this hole, I'm hopping off at the next spaceport we find."

"You seem to think we can fly at all," Joshua pointed out. "Our engines are about to fall apart, and even if they were in good condition, that Imp is still out there."

"Psssh," Baxter scoffed. "I helped the Hadwins build this hunk a' junk. I know enough about it that I can rewire some of our minor systems into the engines and bring them back up to full power. Once that's done, all we gotta do is outfly our little pesky assassin, and that should be much easier once the engines are repaired." Next to him, Ecksfive whistled, volunteering to help with the repairs.

Joshua looked at Allia, surprise mixing with impression on his face. "Well, guess that little problem's solved."

Allia clasped her hands together and leaned forward. "Then we can discuss why this Imperial 'assassin' isn't trying to kill us."

The room was silent all around. Baxter shrugged his massive shoulders. "I got nothin' here."

Joshua scratched his long black hair. "Maybe we should just go with it. If we screw up, I'd prefer to be stunned than killed."

Ecksfive chirped an agreement.

Allia splayed out her hands. "Looks like we don't have much of a choice anyway. Let's get to work; we can't afford to waste any more time."

* * *

><p>From the single window in Pando Paian's small home, Arluin watched the Katarrian storm rage around him. Rain poured down and pattered against the glass pane, and lighting flashed in staccato, briefly illuminating the ancient, crumbling skyscrapers that made up the ghost city.<p>

Next to him, Savior absorbed the scene as well through her single black eye. She had refused to leave her master's presence, doing a droid's best to comfort him and raise his spirits. Arluin looked down at her, patted her dome, and returned his gaze to the storm outside.

"This planet was once beautiful." Arluin felt Paian's voice inside his head and turned to face his Master, who was staring over Arluin's shoulder into the furious lightning storm as well. "There was a time when Katarr teemed with life, and its native species built wonders such as the city around us."

"What happened to make Katarr what it is now?" Arluin inquired. "What force is so terrible that it could kill everything on an entire planet?"

Paian looked at him. "You already know the answer. Just a year ago, something similar happened to the world of Alderaan. But Katarr's devastation was thousands of years ago." The old Jedi gazed downward then, a pained expression on his chalk-white face. "A Sith Lord named Darth Nihilus became so enthralled with the Dark Side of the Force that he literally became the embodiment of its never-ending hunger. To survive, he was forced to consume life, and Katarr was just one of many planets he ravaged to sustain himself."

Arluin was appalled. "One man destroyed a whole world and everyone on it just to keep himself alive? That's…" Arluin searched for words, but none seemed horrible enough to fit what he felt.

Paian nodded slowly. "The Dark Side is a dangerous, terrible source of power. It can make one strong beyond imagining, but the cost to the user and those around him is always more than can ever be paid. It is a shame that the temptation to use it is so easy to give in to."

Arluin studied the Ithorian curiously. "Why are you telling me this, Master?"

"Because you must understand what your sister has the potential to become." Paian gazed at him intently. "Because you must know what will be set loose upon the galaxy if she is not stopped."

Savior hooted softly and sadly, echoing what Arluin felt at Paian's mentioning of his sister. "Believe me, I know," he said, depression weighing his voice. "Reina is unbelievably powerful in the Force, much more than I am. I'm afraid of what she might do if I can't help her." Sadness gave way to frustration inside him. "I just wish I weren't so powerless! I feel like a failure to her and everyone else."

The ancient Jedi Master linked his fingers together at his waist. "You are only useless in your mind, Arluin. You know this."

Anger bubbled up inside Arluin now. "Oh, really? Because of me, Barret's captured, Joshua and Allia are Force knows where, and Reina's an acolyte of the Dark Side! How am I anything but a complete failure?"

"You place too much guilt upon yourself, my young apprentice," Paian cautioned him. "You did not listen to me when I told you to abandon such thoughts. A Jedi does not abide for such dark emotions to reside within himself. He is at peace with his inner spirit."

"Peace?!" Arluin spat. "How can there be peace when there's so much _wrong_ in the world?" His anger was bursting out of him now and he couldn't stop it. "And why should I listen to you? You're hiding things from me! Why in space should I even trust you?!"

"Arluin—"

"No! Don't say a word!" Confusion, frustration, anger, sadness, and a whole host of other emotions had been creating a volatile mix inside him for the past few months and now it had come to a boil. "I've had enough of all of this! No more Jedi, no more Dark Side! No more secrets! No more betrayal! I'm done!"

And suddenly, he was running. He heard Paian and Savior protest, but he didn't care. He was out the door and in the storm, running through the streets of the ruined city. He didn't notice the rain striking him, soaking his clothes and wetting his face. He didn't see the lightning striking around him, didn't feel the thunder rolling through his bones. Visions of the past occupied his senses, flashing to and fro in his mind faster than he could stop them from coming. Memories of Reina dueling him aboard the Devastator, Barret's last goodbye, Joshua fighting with Allia. All his fault. Guilt swelled inside him, coating his innards and flooding his mind until it was near impossible to think straight.

Suddenly, like a vibroblade piercing the skin and striking the heart, an idea struck him, and he stopped in his tracks. It was so clear now, much clearer than the other thoughts mucking about in his head. It was so simple he wondered why he hadn't thought of it before.

_I'll throw myself off of the highest building,_ he thought. _It's what I deserve. The galaxy will be a better place without me._

He quickly located a nearby skyscraper and entered the abandoned structure. It was quieter inside, the thunder and pounding rain muffled slightly by the thick stone walls. And it was dark, nearly pitch-black. But Arluin didn't mind. He had no trouble locating a staircase. Eyes to his feet, he began to trudge upwards.

As we climbed up to the top of the building, faces flashed in his mind. Reina. Barret. Joshua. Allia. Master Paian. Savior. Ecksfive. General Viktor.

_I'm so sorry. I'm not strong enough to be who you needed me to be. I failed you all. I'm so, so sorry._

Oddly enough, Arluin wasn't crying. His face was merely blank and he continued to walk up, step by stony step.

_I'm getting what I deserve. I'm getting my punishment for failing you. _

Finally he reached the top of the stairs. A stone door separated him from the top of the building. It didn't take much to push it open.

He was greeted by blinding light. Totally surprised, his mind left the depressing train of thought just long enough to wonder what had happened. Making his way further out upon the roof, he looked over the edge and found that the building was so tall that it broke the cloud layer. The light was coming from Katarr's shining sun.

The light was like being doused with cold water to Arluin's mind, and the reality of what he had come there to do struck him like a landspeeder. _Oh, Force, I was going to…_

Arluin stumbled backward, shocked at what he had come so close to doing. _What was I thinking?_ He backed into a wall and slumped against it, sliding down to the floor.

The next things to catch up to him were his emotions—real emotions, untouched by depression and self-pity. He couldn't hold back any longer. It was like a damn broke, and tears poured fourth from his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. His chest and shoulders heaved with heavy sobs. The release felt good, very good, and he let all his troubles and doubts and emotions pour out with the tears.

In their place, he felt something new rush into him. It was fluid, but powerful, like a rushing tide. It gave him strength where he had none, hope where it had abandoned him. He knew what it was.

It was the Force.

Without thinking, Arluin let go of all control, and in the Force, he stretched out and out and out…

* * *

><p>In the communications room of the <em>Executioner<em>, Reina listened closely to what the hologram of Archer was reporting.

"…and then they flew into the abandoned spice mines. I'd never be able to hunt them down there by myself, but I have them trapped."

Reina nodded. "Excellent work, Archer. I will set course for Mon Gazza immediately."

Archer saluted, and then his image fuzzed and winked out. Reina rotated in her chair to stare out a viewport into the blankness of space, thinking heavily. Joshua and Allia were as good as hers now. Success loomed on the horizon.

Then she felt it. At first, it was a whisper, distant yet strangely familiar. It grew every second, until it was big enough for Reina to identify what it was. She was once again feeling her brother through the Force, something she hadn't done for weeks. Arluin's presence didn't stop there. It continued to grow, expanding inside her head until it was as if he was standing right next to her. His emotions returned with the connection—pain, sadness, fear, and anger. Reina was so suddenly overwhelmed that she barely had time to feel shocked.

Then it vanished in a heartbeat. The Shield of the Empire blinked, wondering if what she had just been feeling had been real. _No, it couldn't be,_ she reasoned. _I haven't sensed Arluin since our duel on the Devastator. Why would I feel him for a few moments just for him to vanish? _Reina shook her head. _I must be playing tricks on myself. I need to keep my mind busy._

Keying the comlink again, she contacted Captain Forer on the bridge.

"Bridge to Comms room, this is the Captain."

"Captain, this is the Shield. Set our course for the planet of Mon Gazza. Our Commando has our targets ready for us."

"Yes, my Lady. Bridge out."

Reina heard the rumble of the Interdictor's engines coming to life and felt the ship began to move, but her mind drifted back to what she had just experienced, and she continued to muse over it…

* * *

><p>He had felt her. It was faint, and short, but Arluin had definitely felt his sister's presence once again. As soon as he had focused on it, however, the Force inside him had dissipated, and any hope of somehow contacting Reina slipped through his fingers. Try as he might, he simply could not draw upon the Force again.<p>

"There you are!" Pando Paian's relieved voice sounded in Arluin's head, and he turned to see the old Ithorian Jedi coming up the stairs behind him. "When you didn't return to my hovel, I began to worry. Then I felt a massive disturbance in the Force and I knew it had to be you." Paian knelt down in front of him. "Are you all right?"

Arluin looked at the ground in shame. "I'll be honest, Master, the things running through my head made me want to do something pretty drastic. Luckily I stopped myself before I was able to do it."

Paian nodded slowly. "The Dark Side was coursing within you, fueled by your negative emotions. But the fact that you are still alive proves that you are not completely under its sway."

Arluin sat up from where he leaned against the wall. "Something happened to me after I recovered myself. I think I regained my connection to the Force for just a moment."

"That would explain the disturbance I sensed," Paian said thoughtfully. "You were extremely vulnerable, and the Force seeped back into you. But once you recovered your senses, you closed yourself off to it once more." He studied Arluin for a moment before speaking again. "What did you feel?"

Arluin searched for words. "I think I felt Reina. Just for a second, it was like I was right next to her."

Paian's dark eyes twinkled. "You were right not to end it all yet—there is still hope. Your Force bond with your sister still lives. It was not shattered, it was simply subdued. As long as it exists, there is hope for Reina."

Arluin nodded, accepting Paian's words, then looked down at himself. "I don't think there's any hope for our clothes, though. We're drenched."

There was a pause, and then a new sound rang through Arluin's head, something he hadn't heard before. Looking at his Master, he saw that the Ithorian's face was scrunched up in a joyful expression.

Pando Paian was laughing.

Arluin couldn't help himself. He laughed too.

* * *

><p>The <em>Executioner <em>blasted into orbit over Mon Gazza, accompanied by its escort of four Imperial Star Destroyers.

From the bridge of the massive Interdictor, the Shield of the Empire looked down at the orange-brown surface of the planet below. She knew that two of her old friends were down there, being hunted by her agents—once they were captured, they would be executed. _They are not my friends anymore, _Reina mused to herself. _They strayed from that path long ago._

Captain Forer hurried up to her side, punctual as ever. "Commando 2117 reports that _Hadwin's Fate _still has not left the mine. Shall we send in a search team?"

Reina considered this for a moment, and then came up with a better plan. "No—the search would take too long. Instead, bring out the bombers." She clenched her right hand into a fist. "We shall force them out."

Forer bowed loyally. "It shall be done, my Lady. _Hadwin's Fate _will be ours at last." He left her side to carry out her commands.

Reina returned to staring down at Mon Gazza. _First the _Fate_…and then my brother._

* * *

><p>TIE Bombers, their dual-hulled shapes screaming over the surface of Mon Gazza, swarmed to the mines and began unloading their payloads. White-blue proton bombs fell and detonated upon the dusty plains, threatening to crack open the very crust of the planet with each explosion. Deep below the ground, however, where <em>Hadwin's Fate <em>crouched, the noises of the bombs were muffled to distant thuds, thus sounding much less threatening.

Allia Hadwin sat on the padded couch in the _Fate's_ main hold, listening to the dropping bombs. The blue Twi'lek girl needed to listen to something other than Baxter's snoring. The nasally rumble could be heard all the way from the crew quarters where he was resting after spending hours working on the damaged engines.

Allia huddled up inside the ragged blanket she had draped around herself and shivered. In an attempt to save power, Joshua had deactivated some of the ship's systems, including the light and heating. It had become very cold and dark aboard the battered freighter.

Joshua entered the hold, clutching a small electronic lamp that cast a weak yellow light on everything. He checked Ecksfive where the droid was powered down and recharging, then noticed Allia curled up on the couch.

"Cold?" he asked. She nodded stiffly, and he set the lamp down on a nearby table and retrieved a boxy portable heater from a corner of the hold. Placing it next to Allia, he plugged it in, and the device began to hum and radiate warmth.

"Better?" he asked, and received another stiff nod. He almost turned to leave, but decided differently, and instead sat down beside her. She didn't spare him a look.

Joshua studied her face. "What's wrong?" he inquired.

There was a long silence that put a pit in Joshua's gut. Finally, Allia spoke. "Everything," she said in a quiet monotone.

Joshua bit his lip. "Oh, come on, it's not all that bad…" he tried. "You heard Baxter. We're gonna get out of here. We're gonna be fine."

"Perhaps," she said, still speaking in low tones. "And then Baxter will abandon us. And the Rebel Alliance will still be missing. And Arluin will still be gone. And Reina will still be evil. And Barret will still be captive." She closed her lips and didn't say anything else.

Joshua struggled to decide what to say next. "I know it seems dark—"

"It is dark."

"Okay, yeah, it is. But you can't give up hope."

"Why not?"

Joshua moved a little closer to her. "Because it isn't all gone yet." Still she refused to look at him. "I mean, I'm still here," he continued. "Don't I count for something?"

Another pause. "You…I can't…" Allia had difficulty articulating her thoughts. "We're in a very difficult situation, Joshua. Everything keeps changing so quickly. We might be dead tomorrow."

Joshua's heart jumped a little. "What are you saying?"

Finally, she met his gaze. "I've lost so much already," she went on somberly. "I just…I can't afford to get…attached to someone I could lose the next day."

Suddenly, everything made sense to Joshua. "So that's what this has been about. You haven't been mad at me, you've been…" He felt an odd feeling of relief. "Oh, sithspawn, Allia. You could have told me."

Allia looked at him almost blankly. "I'm sorry. I just didn't want…"

"You didn't want to get hurt, I know," he finished for her. "And you didn't want to hurt me, either." In a sudden burst of courage he slipped his hand into hers. "But don't you see, Allia? It's _because _we might die tomorrow that we shouldn't stop ourselves from—" he caught himself before he spoke anymore, suddenly aware of what he was saying. "Unless, of course, you don't—I mean—" Force, he was making a fool of himself. The butterflies raging around in his stomach made it hard for him to think clearly. "Do you?"

Allia's blank look melted into something else, and she began to lean in. Brown eyes stared into bright blue, and Joshua's mind went numb. Oddly enough, the only thought that ran through his mind was that this was really happening, down in a spice mine on Mon Gazza. By the Force, she was so beautiful… _Just do it, you idiot!_

Joshua closed his eyes, slowly fell forward and kissed her. Days, months, years might have passed outside the mine, but he didn't care. Elation filled his chest to the bursting point as he continued to kiss her. It was the best thing he had ever done, more exhilarating than piloting, more dangerous than fighting Stormtroopers, more important than blowing up a war machine. It was as if the Empire, the war, the whole galaxy ceased to exist. He was kissing the most beautiful woman in the universe, and she was kissing him back.

Finally, they broke apart, and she curled up into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her. They were silent for a while, enjoying the moment of peace.

Allia was first to break the silence. "I'm so sorry for pushing you away," she said quietly.

Joshua stroked her head-tails. "It's okay," he murmured. "It doesn't matter now. "Everything's going to be okay. I'm not going to leave you."

They sat there together, curled into each other, until they both drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

><p>8<p>

A loud rumble stirred Baxter in his bunk aboard _Hadwin's Fate._ His eyes half opened, and he looked around drearily. "Whuzzgoinon," he muttered sleepily. Then an even louder rumble, like thunder, accompanied by the shaking of the ground beneath him toppled him from his bed. Baxter hit the deck with a thud and a loud _ow!_ He quickly stood up, now wide awake, and hurried to the ship's cockpit.

A second jolt awoke the sleeping teens on the couch, still curled into each other. Joshua jumped up and ran to a nearby terminal, running a system check.

"What in space was that?!" Allia yelled in confusion. Ecksfive activated and, with a screech, rolled at full speed into his slot in the cockpit.

"Those bombers musta' finally hit something above us!" Baxter hollered back. "The mine is collapsing around us!"

Joshua and Allia ran into the cockpit and took their seats. Joshua hammered several buttons on the dash and the _Fate_ powered up with a loud roar. "Looks like it's time to leave," he announced.

"But I didn't get to finish working on the engines!" Baxter protested. "They're not at full power!"

"We'll just have to make due," Allia stated. "Hit it, Ecksfive!"

As the quakes continued, _Hadwin's Fate_ lifted off the unstable ground and began to rotate towards the exit route. A falling chunk of rock bounced off the freighter's shields, tipping it slightly, but the ship quickly regained its composure. With a deafening bang, the _Fate's _bulbous engines belched flame and propelled it down the rapidly collapsing tunnel.

Joshua pushed the throttle full open, and while their acceleration increased, the ship's aging systems groaned and creaked and complained. Baxter grimaced. "That doesn't sound good."

A cacophony of crackling and thunder sounded behind them as the whole tunnel began to cave in completely. An avalanche of falling stone and rock threatened to crush the ship and bury it alive.

"Joshua, we need to go faster," Allia said in nervous tones as she watched the earth coming down on them.

"I'm going as fast as I can! Just hold on!"

The _Fate_ twisted around a bend at breakneck speeds and only avoided smashing into the stone wall because of the ample skills of its pilots. Joshua curved the freighter around and up. The bright light at the end of the tunnel filled the ship's cockpit.

"We're almost through!" Joshua yelled, and thrust the _Fate_ upwards. The tunnel continued to collapse behind them, a stone maw trying to gobble up the battered ship. Just as it seemed it would be successful, the _Fate_ cleared the tunnel mouth and soared up into the Mon Gazzan sky. Below them, the earth shuddered and fell into itself, creating a massive sinkhole where the mine used to be.

"That was cutting it a little close, boy," Baxter admonished, but secretly he was impressed at the young man's piloting skills. "Where to now?"

Joshua nodded in the direction of the atmosphere above them. "Space. That assassin's going to find us soon and we need to make ourselves scarce."

"We'll be lucky to get anywhere with the _Fate_ in the shape it is," Allia worried.

"We don't have much of a choice but to try," Joshua said determinedly. He reached over and grasped Allia's hand, comforting the blue-skinned girl. "Don't worry—we'll be fine."

Baxter noticed the gesture and a large, mischievous grin splayed across his face. "Aye, what have you two been up to lately, hmm?"

Allia blushed purple. "None of your business."

Ecksfive chittered in the droid version of laughter as _Hadwin's Fate _soared away from Mon Gazza.

* * *

><p>Arluin's eyes flashed open as another lightning bolt struck near the dwelling, illuminating the interior for a brief moment and casting shadows on the dark walls. The young man sat up in his stone bed and wiped sweat off his brow. He tried to banish the images of the nightmare from his mind, and wondered how he was going to fall asleep again—it was hard enough to rest on the cold, hard slab without bad dreams plaguing him like they were tonight. Arluin would have preferred to be sleeping in the cramped but comfortable crew quarters of the <em>Ebony Jewel,<em> but Paian had insisted that he took the less convenient option as part of his training.

He looked over to where his master was sleeping on another stone bed. While Paian had removed the needs to eat and drink by living off of the Force itself, he still required rest. Arluin hesitated, then approached the Ithorian and woke him.

Paian rolled over and sat up in his bed, eyeing his apprentice. "Another nightmare?" he asked telepathically. Arluin nodded, and Paian closed his eyes wearily. "The second one tonight. What did you see?"

Arluin tried to recall the nightmare, but images of it were already fading quickly. "I'm not sure. But there was pain—lots and lots of pain. A cry for help. He almost thought he had seen the faces of Joshua and Allia. Someone I know is in trouble." Arluin looked worried. "They may need me."

"Caution, my young apprentice," Paian warned. "You may be experiencing premonitions—visions of the future gifted to you by the Force. If this is true, it is a promising sign for your connection to the Force. But the future is ever changing, ever flowing. What you are feeling may not come to pass."

"But what if it does?" Arluin heard the panic entering his voice. "I don't want any of my friends to get hurt again—if I can stop it from happening, isn't that a good thing?"

"The Dark Side of the Force surrounds many things," the old Jedi Master advised him. "It clouds our vision and poisons our judgment. Consider heavily your actions in the near future. Your choices could bear dangerous consequences."

Arluin nodded and bade his master good night. The two Jedi returned to bed. However, one of them did not return to sleep for many hours, for while Arluin knew the old Ithorian's advice was wise and true, the cry for help continued to echo inside his mind…

* * *

><p>On the bridge of the <em>Executioner,<em> Reina stood over the deck's communications console. The communications officer cowered under her, trying not to accidentally upset his Dark Lady. On the console dash, a fizzling blue image of Imperial Commando 2117 flashed to life.

"Archer reporting, my Lady," the commando said in his cold, blank voice.

"Greetings, Archer," Reina responded. "I trust you have tracked _Hadwin's Fate _out of the mine?"

"Yes Ma'm," Archer affirmed. "What would you like me to do with her?"

Reina smiled icily. She already had a plan—one she knew would work. "Push them into our Destroyer fleet," she commanded. "We shall trap and capture them. They don't stand a chance."

Archer did not offer a compliment on how brilliant the plan was or how smart Lady Reina was. He simply accepted her orders like a good soldier should. "It shall be done, my Lady," he stated, and then the call ended. Reina strode back to the bridge's viewport, leaving a relieved comms officer. She stared out into space where she imagined she could already see _Hadwin's Fate_ being intercepted and trapped by her Star Destroyers. The chilling grin remained on her face.

* * *

><p>Vibrant green laser bolts struck the <em>Fate, <em>tossing it from side to side. The rebel ship had almost cleared Mon Gazza's atmosphere when the TIE Hunter ambushed them.

"He came outta' nowhere!" Baxter exclaimed, astounded at how easily the Imperial ship had taken them by surprise. "Like a damn ghost!"

"He must have a cloaking device," Joshua mused. "And look—he's jamming our sensors. It's no wonder we didn't pick him up."

"I just wish it was as easy to lose him!" Allia yelled frantically as _Hadwin's Fate _shook under another blast.

Joshua and Ecksfive yanked the ship in a complicated evasive maneuver in a desperate attempt to shake their attacker, but it was no good—the TIE remained locked on their position and continued to fire away. Ecksfive bleated loudly in panic.

"We're exiting the atmosphere!" Allia reported as the _Fate _continued to shoot away from Mon Gazza. Joshua suddenly spotted something ahead of them—no, it was several somethings. As the rebel ship drew nearer, the somethings evolved into familiar silhouettes, knife-like shapes painted dull grey—

"Star Destroyers!" Joshua shouted, and yanked the _Fate _hard to port. Ecksfive ran a quick scan, which Baxter looked over.

"Four Imperial class Destroyers and an Interdictor flagship," the big man reported. "I don't like where this is going…"

At the mention of the Interdictor, Joshua and Allia exchanged a knowing glance. "Reina's here," Allia said quietly. Joshua's brow furrowed and he went back to focusing on the ship's controls.

Baxter looked curiously between the two. "Sorry, who?"

"You might know her as the Shield of the Empire," Joshua said darkly without looking at him. Baxter gulped.

"The actual Shield of the Empire is here?" Baxter passed a hand over his eyes. "Oh, I never shoulda' gotten outta' me bed this morning…"

"Last time we saw her, she almost killed Joshua and captured my brother," Allia hissed. "I'd give anything to just be able to spit in her face right now."

"Be careful what you wish for, girl," Baxter said, eyeing the Interdictor. "We're a bit close to her already…"

* * *

><p>Archer's gloved hands gripped the TIE Hunter's controls in a determined yet relaxed manner. He had been performing missions such as this since the beginning of the Clone Wars so many years ago, and pressing <em>Hadwin's Fate <em>into the awaiting Star Destroyers was nothing compared to some of the things he had done. He felt no panic, no stress, only a calm control as he drove the hapless rebel ship into the maw of the Imperial cruisers. Checking a readout, he saw that both he and his target had escaped Mon Gazza's gravity. Nodding to himself, he thumbed a button and armed one of his Electromagnetic Pulse missiles. Pulling up a crosshair on his targeting screen, he carefully tracked the zig-zagging _Fate_, attempting to establish a target lock. Finally, the crosshair burned red and his computer emitted a loud beep.

"Gotcha," the Commando muttered, and pulled the trigger.

The missile exploded from its tube on the side of the TIE hunter and screamed toward its target, irreversibly locked on and closing in for the final blow.

* * *

><p>Ecksfive screamed shrilly in alarm as a blaring siren filled the cockpit of the <em>Fate.<em>

"He's got a missile locked onto us!" Allia announced. "It's coming up fast!"

Joshua exhaled slowly. Between the missile and the small fleet of Star Destroyers, there was no way he could get them out of this one. "All right, everyone," he yelled, "brace for impact!"

A display on the dash counted down to the missile's impending arrival. FIVE SECONDS, it read. FOUR SECONDS. THREE SECONDS. TWO SECONDS. ONE SECOND.

The missile struck. A blue-purple field of lightning covered _Hadwin's Fate _from stem to stern. The engines shuddered, coughed, and died. Lights everywhere winked out. Even Ecksfive shorted out and slumped against the dashboard. Then, everything was quiet.

Allia noticed she had reflexively grabbed Joshua's hand before the impact, but didn't let go. "Why aren't we dead?" she asked curiously.

"I'm not one to question a good thing," Baxter grumbled, "but I'd have to say it's because those Imps still want us alive."

"Electromagnetic Pulse," Joshua realized. "We're drifting."

Sure enough, _Hadwin's Fate _continued to float lazily along its course. The missile had shorted out all electronic systems aboard the ship. Lacking any control, it began to enter a slow spin.

As they revolved, Baxter noticed something out of the main viewport and pointed. "We won't be alone for long. There's a boarding craft inbound."

The Imperial craft came closer and closer, growing larger in the eyes of the rebels. Joshua gripped Allia's hand tighter. "Put away your weapons," he commanded. "We can't outfight them. We have to surrender."

"I'm not going down without a fight!" Allia protested, but Joshua gave her a knowing look.

"That boarding craft is coming from the Interdictor," he observed. "Once we're on board, where do you think they'll take us?"

"To the brig," Allia answered, and then her eyes grew huge as she realized what Joshua was saying. "Where Barret is!"

"What makes you think he's onboard?" Baxter asked.

Joshua looked out to the oncoming craft. "If I know Reina, she'll keep him close to her, not where we might be able to free him more easily." His free hand clenched into a fist. "Hold on, old friend. We're coming…"

* * *

><p>Minutes later, the three were standing in the hangar of the <em>Executioner. Hadwin's Fate <em>had been towed aboard with Ecksfive inside it, and was currently being searched. Stormtroopers of countless numbers surrounded the rebels, and their hands had been bound, but no one had come to speak to them yet. Then, a door hissed open, and a female in dark, well-fitting leather entered the room.

Reina swept her eyes over her old friends. "Joshua, Allia," she began coldly, "how good it is to see you again. Have you been well?"

"No thanks to you," Joshua spat. "Traitor." Allia said nothing, only glaring lasers at her former friend.

Reina gave a tight smile, then looked at Baxter as if seeing him for the first time. "And… who is this?"

"Baxter Raleigh, Ma'm," he said curtly. His eyes fell to her chest. "And my, aren't you a pretty thing—"

Reina's calm mask suddenly turned into one of anger and she thrust out her hand, choking Baxter with the Force. The big man, helpless in his handcuffs, began to sputter and gasp for air.

"Let him go, Reina!" Allia shouted. "Let him go!"

The Shield of the Empire glanced at the young Twi'lek, and then released her grip on Baxter. "Oh, very well. For old time's sake." Her icy smile returned even larger. "But don't expect me to do any more favors for you. You won't be around long enough to ask for them."

Joshua's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"What, don't you know?" Reina asked in mock confusion. "You're to be executed! Both of you!" She looked at Baxter again in disgust. "And I suppose you can be, too."

Allia's mouth fell open. "How can you do this? We were your friends! We fought and laughed and lived together!"

Reina's mouth twitched, but she quickly regained her composure. "_Were _being the key word. Now you're just tools."

Baxter snorted. "That's not too kind of you."

Reina frowned. "I wasn't insulting you, although perhaps you deserve it. No, I meant you are _literally _tools. Through you, I will bring out my brother from hiding—and force him to join me."

Finally, it all made sense to Joshua. "You've been setting up a trap, and we're the bait." He shook his head angrily. "You'll burn for this, Reina."

Reina met his gaze with cold fire in her vibrant green eyes. "I doubt it. I doubt it very much." She turned to a nearby Stormtrooper officer. "Take them to my quarters and lock them inside."

Surprise overtook Allia. "You're not taking us to the brig?"

Reina laughed slightly. "My dear Allia, I knew you would be expecting to see your brother. I hate to dash your hopes, but you won't be going anywhere near him. You'll be nice and comfortable in my quarters." She glanced at the officer, who saluted and began to lead the prisoners away. Joshua and Allia glared at her until they were out of sight, and she watched them go with stiff composition. As soon as they were gone, she exhaled heavily. Seeing those two had taken more of a toll on her than she had thought it would.

Reina hastily made her way to the comms room and immediately opened a channel to Admiral Merik, eager to report her success. The image of her sharp-featured superior appeared before her.

"Ah, Reina," he said in his silky voice. "How good to hear from you so soon. I trust the mission is going well?"

Reina bowed. "Even better than we expected. Joshua and Allia are mine at last."

A toothy smile broke out on Merik's face. "You both please and impress me, Reina. You serve the Empire well."

She bowed again. "What is the next step in the plan, Admiral?"

"Take your new prisoners to the maximum-security prison on Oovo IV," the old man commanded. "I have already arranged for the executions to take place their. It will be a grand ceremony indeed."

As Reina bowed again, Merik added, "I will be meeting you there in person, as well."

The Shield of the Empire looked at him in surprise. "You're leaving the Devastator?"

"The Devastator is complete," he informed her. "Once we have dealt with Arluin, we can begin using it to crush the Rebellion. Make with all due haste to Oovo IV," he ordered. "Our time of victory is near."

"Yes, Admiral." Reina bowed a final time, and Merik's image faded. She turned and left the room, heading towards the bridge to carry out her orders. _Soon, my brother. Very soon._

* * *

><p>Arluin jerked upright in his bed, covered in sweat, a scream on his lips. The last nightmare had been so vivid it was almost if he had been there himself. He could still recall what he had seen clear as crystal.<p>

In an asteroid belt orbiting a gas giant, there existed a prison colony. At this colony, Joshua, Allia and a large man unknown to him had been chained up to metal poles in an arena devoid of crowd. His sister entered the bowl-shaped arena and strode up to the captive rebels. She drew her bright green lightsaber and, one by one, had beheaded his friends.

Then the nightmare had ended, but Arluin wondered if it had been truly been a nightmare. It had been so clear…

He sat in bed a moment, considering his options. It didn't take long for him to decide. Quietly getting out of bed as so not to disturb his master, he gathered his belongings and approached Savior. The little droid was powered off, and he activated her and motioned to follow him out of the house.

Outside, the storm had ended, though the ever-present dark clouds remained. Arluin and Savior moved over to the _Ebony Jewel,_ out of Paian's earshot. The air was still and the ruins were as quiet as the grave.

Arluin looked down at his friend. "Joshua and Allia are in trouble," he told her. "Reina's got something to do with it." A pit filled his gut. "She's got a lot to do with it. I have to go help them."

Savior whirred and chirped, and Arluin nodded. "I know, I know. My training isn't finished yet. But if I don't go, they may die. I have to do something." One of Paian's pieces of advice entered his head. _Consider heavily your actions in the near future. Your choices could bear dangerous consequences. _Arluin looked back at the house, where his master still slept. He thought of Reina, of Merik, and of Barret, Joshua and Allia. He remembered everything that had happened to them in the past few weeks, and made his final decision. Arluin's brow furrowed in determination. "I'm sorry, Master," he said. "But I've got to do this. I hope you will understand when you find out I am gone. I will return," he added. "I promise." Then, beckoning to his robotic companion, he boarded the _Ebony Jewel_ and fired up the ship.

Neither one noticed a dark, hunched figure slip on board.

The _Jewel_ lifted off the Katarrian concrete, assumed its lopsided position, and blasted off through the clouds and into the vast darkness of space.


	3. Act 3 (Chapters 9-12)

9

The moment the _Ebony Jewel_ entered the space around Oovo, a sense of unease crept into Arluin.

"I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered to himself. At his side, monitoring the navigation charts, Savior let out a low whistle, confirming her agreement with her master's opinion.

Ahead of them lay the enormous red-orange gas giant, covered in bright, shifting clouds and ringed by a constantly moving and twisting asteroid belt. Oovo's bright coloration made it stand out against the darkness like a beacon, and Arluin would have thought it beautiful were it not for the serious reason he had ventured here.

"It looks just like the planet in my dream," he told Savior. "This has to be it. The colony was on one of the larger asteroids." He squinted at the mass of brown and gray tone chunks floating around the planet. "But which one?"

Savior fiddled with the controls, and then gave two high-pitched beeps. "You tracked the _Fate's_ transponder to the asteroid colony?" Arluin looked at her with approval. "Nice job!" The droid twittered happily at the praise.

Arluin looked out at the planet before them and opened the throttle. "Hang on, guys. I'm on my way."

The _Jewel_ entered the asteroid belt with careful precision. Arluin used his acquired ship's unique design to maneuver around massive rocks that normally would smash into them, obliterating them instantly. The _Jewel's_ hull rotated cautiously, narrowly avoiding striking its oblong shape against each incoming asteroid. Arluin was grateful that he had the advantage of the ship's special attribute, for without the Force to guide him, navigating the field was dangerous enough.

As the _Ebony Jewel_ made its way to the prison colony, neither Jedi nor droid noticed as a large, black TIE Hunter slowly crept out from where it had been lying in wait and began to follow the boxy ship. The Imperial craft, shrouded in cloaking technology, forward solar panels extending like pincers, was virtually invisible even to the young Jedi. The _Jewel_ continued to trundle along cautiously, unaware it was being tracked.

Glowing green bolts of energy came out of nowhere to strike the lopsided ship. Savior screeched piercingly as their ship rocked and cavorted, sustaining blow after blow. Arluin grimaced and yanked the _Jewel_ downward, narrowly missing a collision with a stray asteroid. "It's a trap!" he yelled, already compensating for the damage their shields had taken. He gunned the _Jewel_ forward, dodging more incoming laser fire and swerving to avoid another oncoming chunk of rock. The Hunter chased after them, spewing rapid-fire death out of its twin laser cannons.

Arluin commanded his vessel to duck and weave in several attempts to throw off his attacker, but nothing worked. Even worse, their accelerated movement increased the risk of smashing into the asteroids that surrounded them. "If we keep this up we're going to be space dust," he muttered. He glanced at Savior. "Try to find some way to throw him off!" he ordered his sidekick. Savior obeyed and began a search of the vessel's systems.

The pursuit continued to escalate in terms of speed and danger. The TIE craft continued to belch laser bolts in all directions. Some were lucky enough to impact upon the _Ebony Jewel's_ shielding, but most shot off into space or sliced open asteroids. Arluin tried every evasive maneuver he could think of, but the Imperial pilot was just too skilled. "This guy's good," he exclaimed. Then he noticed a large hole in one of the more massive asteroids. "Let's put him to the test," Arluin said, and directed the _Jewel_ toward the cavernous opening.

Arluin flipped on his ship's floodlights, which illuminated the interior of the asteroid as he flew into it. Thick pillars of solid rock bound the chunk together from the inside, and Arluin had to push the _Jewel_ to its limits to keep from dashing against them. Behind them, the TIE Hunter proved itself to be far more agile than the _Jewel_ as it swerved and twisted around the columns with ease. Arluin noticed this on his rear-view screen and frowned. "He's better than I thought," he observed. "This is no ordinary TIE pilot."

The two ships flew out the other side of the asteroid, heading closer to Oovo. The huge gas giant loomed in Arluin's sight like an omen, warning of impending danger. Arluin was too preoccupied with the threat at hand, however, to worry about what might lie ahead of him.

Savior let out a loud ping that caught her master's attention. "You found what?" Arluin asked. The little droid whistled and tweeted, and he nodded in response. "Use it, then," he commanded. "It might be our last hope."

The barrel-bodied robot extended a slim metal arm into a control port and activated the _Ebony Jewel's_ laser cannons. Gears whirred and servos whined, and the great thin arm sticking out from the side of the ship jerked and rotated backwards. The _Jewel's_ singular laser cannon was now pointed backward—at their pursuer.

At Savior's instruction, the weapon began spitting vibrant blue beams of searing heat at their attacker. Suddenly caught off guard, the Imperial ship was immediately forced to go on the defensive. The moment was all Arluin needed. He yanked the ship up and over their enemy until the _Jewel_ was behind the sinister TIE craft. The hunter had now become the hunted. Savior rotated their laser cannon forward and opened up once again. This time, it was the TIE Hunter that had to rapidly dodge and avoid destruction. As the dark vessel was struck by blow after blow, its pilot apparently decided that it was time for a retreat. Arluin and Savior watched as the Imperial ship veered off and headed away from Oovo.

"Not so tough now are you, huh?!" Arluin roared triumphantly. Savior let out a victorious set of beeps and hoots, ecstatic at their victory. Arluin turned the _Ebony Jewel_ towards the gas giant, where an enormous asteroid lay ahead of them. He immediately noticed it was covered in bubble-like domes. "There's the prison," he announced. "Let's go save our friends!"

* * *

><p>In the ball-shaped cockpit of the TIE Hunter, Archer calmly thumbed his communication control.<p>

"Report, Archer," the voice of the Shield of the Empire whispered in his ear.

"I have completed my task," the commando informed her in a neutral tone. "Arluin Starfire is set on his way to the prison."

"Excellent work," Lady Reina said, excitement entering her voice. "Tell Captain Forer to have the _Executioner_ jump back in-system."

"It will be done." Archer clicked off his communicator and proceeded to carry out his new orders.

* * *

><p>Reina placed her comlink on her belt and turned to face the man next to her. "My brother is on his way here," she informed him, pure ice in her voice. The man, dressed in his wrinkle-free officer uniform, clasped his hands together and allowed a chilling smile to grow upon his pointed face.<p>

"All according to plan," Admiral Merik stated in triumph.

* * *

><p>Arluin pulled the <em>Ebony Jewel <em>alongside one of Oovo IV's small docking rings. Mysteriously, on its own, the tube extended and fitted itself to the ship's airlock, as if it had been expecting them. He thumbed the _Jewel's_ airlock controls and the doors slid open, revealing the inside of the tube. The entryway was devoid of guards, sentry droids, and even gun emplacements—simply nothing was there to stop him from gaining entrance to the prison. Further still, neither he nor Savior located any patrol ships that should have been swarming all over the bubbled maximum-security facility. The young rebel felt a chill run down his spine. Something was very wrong here. He considered abandoning his quest and returning to Katarr until the image of his rogue sister removing the heads of two of his friends surfaced in his mind's eye. Arluin's determination returned in full force. He had to keep going.

Looking down the barely illuminated tube, Arluin patted the holster where his blaster was sheathed before taking a few steps forward. He heard a soft whistling behind him and turn to regard Savior, who was staring up at him with her large black monocular eye. Arluin regarded her for a moment. Her plating was still covered in scars and dents from their recent adventures. Sighing, he made his choice.

"Savior, you can't come with me," he told her, regret weighing his voice. When the droid hooted mournfully, he heaved another sigh. "Oh, don't be like that, please. It's got nothing to do with the fact that you're a droid." He kneeled down in front of her and stared into her black photoreceptor. "Look. You're just as much my friend as Barret or Joshua or Allia, if not even more," he said softly. "We've been through thick and thin together, and I'll never be able to express how much that means to me. "But," he looked away now, "everyone else has been taken by the Empire. I can't let that happen to you too. You understand, right?"

Savior beeped twice, acknowledging that she understood what her master was telling her. Arluin threw his arms around her stout body and clutched her in a hug. "Thank you, Savior. Thank you so much." He felt tears threatening to spill out of his eyes again and willed them away. He wasn't saying goodbye. "Just stay near the prison until I call for pickup. And if I don't…" she bleated harshly at this, bringing a weak grin to his face. "You'll have to get away from here. Find a new master who will treat you right and give you the respect you deserve." She hooted again, and Arluin relinquished the hug. He stood up and looked down at the little droid who had accompanied him all the way here. Then, in one of the hardest moments of his life, he forced himself to walk away from her.

His footsteps echoed in the lengthy chamber of the docking tube. Once he had cleared the airlock doors, he turned to share one last gaze with his robotic companion. Then the doors hissed closed and cut him off from her and the _Jewel. _

He was alone.

* * *

><p>The sound of Arluin's heavy boots scraping across the smooth plated floor echoed back and forth through the docking tube. He ran his thumb over the side of his blaster pistol, feeling its weight in his hand, its cold metal pressed against his palm. His deep, slow breathing mixed with both the beat of his footsteps and the beat of his heart, creating a surreal hymn that pounded in his ears. The anxiety was welling up in him already, tying his insides into unpleasant knots. Arluin did his best to ignore it, but it crept up the sides of his mind and pulled at his attention.<p>

_Reina is here somewhere. Reina is here and she's set up a trap for me and I'm walking right into it._ Well, what else was he supposed to do? Let his friends die? He shook his head to try and clear it, and his grip on the pistol became white-knuckled.

Arluin came up to the end of the docking tube and carefully poked his head around the corner. His eyes scanned the massive check-in room the tube connected to, looking for any sign of life, but none were to be found. The steel-gray floor and walls were marked by rust and dents, and the transparent, domed roof allowed a view of space beyond—Oovo's bright orange hemisphere looming above, accompanied by smaller asteroids hurtling past the prison, casting shadows as they came between it and the system's sun. Inside the structure, though, nothing moved. There were no guards posted at the doors, no one manning the prisoner check-in desk. But even worse than the strange abandonment was the silence, the deafening, absolute silence that filled the rooms of the prison where the ruckus and clamor of a maximum-security jail should have been. That was what unsettled Arluin the most.

He strode into the check-in room, moving at a cautious yet determined pace. The echoes of his footsteps became like cannon fire in the huge, spacious room. His blood thundered through his veins, pumped by a heart going on overdrive. He felt as if he were being watched, as if something sinister was going to leap out of the shadows and grab him. _The Dark Side is strong here, _he thought, _if it alone can set me on edge._ The he realized he was wrong. The Dark Side was not present because of the prison—it was because of someone who occupied it. _Reina has gotten much stronger since I last saw her, it seems. _The thought chilled him to the bone.

He proceeded through the room to the next, blaster always at the ready. The new area was a docking bay, and a very familiar sight awaited him there. A half-circle, half-trident shaped freighter lay standing on its landing gear, boarding ramp deployed, hatch invitingly open.

Arluin hurried up to _Hadwin's Fate,_ careful to maintain his field of caution. Striding up the boarding ramp, he poked his head and blaster inside the ship and scanned around. Not seeing any threat, he stepped fully inside to search for some hint of his friends.

In the darkness of the main hold, he found something that sent hope surging through him. Ecksfive sat in a corner, powered off—but intact. Arluin approached the battered red astromech , kneeled down, and accessed the necessary controls to restore power to the diminutive droid. His status light slowly warmed and glowed, and his dome rotated slightly to allow his single photoreceptor to view his rescuer. Ecksfive gave a low hoot when he saw that it was Arluin.

"Hey, buddy!" Arluin said with a grin, happy to see that the droid was all right. "It's good to see you again." A sad tone of beeps and whistles from Ecksfive diminished his smile a little. "No, I haven't seen them. Do you know where they are?"

The robot tweeted some more. Now Arluin's smile went away completely, replaced by a worried look. "They took them to be executed?" He recalled his vision. _So I was right…but maybe I'm not too late! _He returned his attention to Ecksfive. "How long ago was that?"

The droid's reply was a scramble of frantic noises. Arluin nodded. "That's not long. There's still a chance to save them, then." The Jedi-in-training got to his feet once more. "Stay here and be ready to power up the _Fate_ at any moment. I'm going to rescue our friends."

Ecksfive tweeted a bright affirmative and rolled off to the cockpit. Arluin stepped down the freighter's boarding ramp and headed for the hangar exit, adrenaline pumping through his body. _I still have a chance. I'm not going to let them down too._

* * *

><p>In another section of the prison, a Stormtrooper dutifully watched over another airlock. The job was simple enough; all he had to do was stand there and watch for Arluin Starfire's ship. If it approached the airlock, he was to immediately report to Lady Reina, and then hide. Other troopers had been given similar tasks and stationed at different airlocks. The trooper was quite pleased with his assignment; he was getting paid for standing around. Wait, no—he had to go open the airlock door.<p>

Inside his helmet, the trooper frowned. He did? Why? The question answered itself in his mind. Someone important needed to be let in. Ah, of course. How silly of him to forget.

The Stormtrooper walked over to the airlock control and opened the outer hatch. As he waited for the airlock to cycle, he looked outside a nearby viewport and saw the ship that had connected to the docking tube. He thought it looked strangely familiar, if a little oddly designed. Why did he recall it so? Wasn't he supposed to be watching for a ship that looked just like that?

His confusion was waved over by a sudden, but comforting, sense of understanding. No, he'd never seen the ship before. He was just imagining things. He'd been working too long today—he needed some rest. He smiled as a picture of himself spending some R&R time in a cantina, cold drink in hand, arose in his mind. He was so distracted by it that he failed to notice the hunched being that slipped out of the airlock and straight past him.

* * *

><p>Arluin dashed around another corner, having abandoned caution for speed. Time was now of the essence, and there was little of it to spare. He gripped the blaster pistol in both hands, safety off, ready to snap it up and shoot at a moment's notice. His only guide was a series of painted markings on the gray walls that displayed the words ARENA with a directional arrow underneath. <em>My vision took place in an arena-like room. That's where they have to be.<em>

Finally, as he tore across a bland hallway and down a flight of stairs, the entrance to the arena lay before him. The door was small and narrow, and led to the top of the stadium. Arluin crouched low and slowly advanced into the arena. Hiding behind a row of seats, he surveyed the area below him.

The massive bowl-shaped room was ringed by a series of seats where spectators could get a good view of the punishment being dealt below, but currently every single one was empty. To the north, a massive gate lay closed, sealing the room where deadly creatures would be housed and released upon misbehaving prisoners. A glass dome above gave a staggering view of Oovo and its asteroid belt looming over the prison. Down below, in the middle of the floor, a single pillar rose several dozen feet into the air. Arluin felt his stomach lurch as he observed that bound to it with energy cuffs were Joshua, Allia, and another man Arluin had never seen before. Allia was yelling something, and her voice echoed through the arena.

"You're sick!" the blue Twi'lek girl shouted as she struggled vainly against her bonds. "Sick and twisted!"

"You won't get away with this!" Joshua added.

Across the room, somebody responded, and Arluin felt his blood freeze in his veins when he recognized the voice.

"The problem, my old friends, is that I already have, and in doing so, I've won."

_Reina._

* * *

><p>10<p>

She stood there in the announcer's box, glowering over the scene that lay beneath her. The knot in Arluin's stomach grew tighter as he observed his sister for the first time in weeks. So many changes had come over her that he was almost shocked he could recognize her. Reina's skin had become so pale it was near paper-white, and it contrasted heavily with the stark black leather she now wore. Her hair was neat and beautifully groomed, no doubt the effects of the luxurious lifestyle she now had as a high-ranking Imperial. The largest change, however, was her posture—Arluin had only ever seen his sister ragged, tired, angry, and sometimes even scared, but the woman he now watched bore a stance that declared absolute power. It was echoed in her voice when she spoke again.

"You picked the wrong side, you two," she announced to Joshua and Allia, completely unaware of her brother's presence. Arluin was momentarily grateful for the dulling of the Force bond with his sister.

"I'll shove my boot so far up your ion engine it'll come out your mouth!" the stranger chimed in.

"How colorful," Reina said dryly. She then turned, presumably listening to someone out of Arluin's view, and nodded.

"Of course, it's not me you have to thank for hunting you down and bringing you here," she stated, turning back to her prisoners. "It wasn't all my idea."

At that moment, the person who had spoken to her stepped forward into Arluin's line of sight, and the knot residing in his gut exploded into hot anger that flooded his body. He recognized the newcomer, even though they had met briefly only once, and that was enough to cloud his mind with rage, for standing in his sights lay the reason his parents were dead, the reason his friends were in danger, and the reason his sister had fallen to the dark side. In that hatred-filled moment, Arluin swore that he would not leave Oovo IV without seeing Admiral Merik lying dead at his feet.

His chance was now. Arluin raised his pistol, aimed for Merik's chest, and squeezed the trigger.

* * *

><p><em>Danger—<em>

Milliseconds after she sensed the incoming disturbance, the hilt of Reina's lightsaber was in her hands. With a _snap-hiss_ the bright green blade flashed into existence and was positioned at an angle on the left of the Admiral's head just in time to deflect the blaster bolt. She tracked the direction of the bolt back to its shooter and saw her brother crouched near a row of seats. The adrenaline was already flowing through her, and without a second thought she raised her right hand, sending a stream of deadly Force Lightning in his direction. It was too late, however—Arluin had already retreated back through the doorway he had come in.

"It's started," Merik stated impassively, unaffected by the attempt on his life. He raised his comlink to his mouth and commanded, "seal all exits. Arluin Starfire must not escape."

* * *

><p>The cold metal door to the stadium's exit slammed shut just as Arluin reached it. The young rebel slammed a fist against it in frustration. <em>Arluin, you idiot!<em> He had acted hastily, in anger, and without thinking, and now the enemy knew he was here and he was caught in their trap. The entire situation had spun out of control in just a few seconds.

Arluin spun back around to face the entry into the arena. _Only one way to go from here._ Breaking into a run, he sprinted back into the stadium and leaped down to the hard Duracrete floor. Glancing up to the podium, he noticed Reina and Merik had left. Joshua, Allia, and the large man spotted him.

"Arluin!" Joshua yelled.

"You can't be here! It's a trap!" Allia protested.

"I know. It's already been sprung," Arluin responded as he hurried over to his friends and looked for a way to free them. "Savior's nearby on my ship, we have to get back to her!" Try as he might, he couldn't see a way to deactivate the cuffs.

"Reach into my tool belt, there should be some plasma cutters," Allia advised him. Arluin did so and pulled out the plasma device. Switching it on, he held it to Allia's cuffs and carefully melted through them. Once Allia was free, she pulled out another cutter and began to work on Joshua's binders while Arluin tended to the other man's bonds.

"You must be this Arluin everyone says is so important," the man said while Arluin melted a hole in his cuffs. "Yeh've got impeccable timing. Name's Baxter Raleigh."

"Pleased to meet you, but we should save introductions for later," Arluin stated as the cuffs finally broke in two. Baxter pulled up his hands and massaged his wrists. At the same time, Joshua's binders snapped under Allia's cutter.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" Joshua barked. The group began to sprint for a large door at the foot of the arena. The door had to have been the last one in the stadium that was still open.

Joshua, Allia, and Baxter made it through, but just before Arluin could escape, an energy shield suddenly filled the doorway. Arluin ran into it and was repelled by an electric shock coursing through his body. He cried out once when hit by the shock, and once more when he hit the ground after falling.

Allia heard him and spun around. "Arluin!"

Wincing, Arluin got back on his feet. "Don't touch it!"

"I can't see any way to deactivate it!" Joshua said as he examined the doorframe. Arluin shook his head.

"Just go! I'll find you!"

Joshua nodded and grabbed Allia's hand in his. The pair took off, Baxter following close behind.

Arluin turned back to the stadium and began looking for a possible way out. As he did, he saw a portion of the wall on the far side of the arena began to slide up, revealing a dark cavern. A bellowing roar came from within the cavern. Arluin's hair stood on end and he slid his blaster out of its holster, preparing for whatever could be inside.

Massive footsteps pounded the floor. A huge, scaly claw emerged from the cavern, followed by a second, and then a massive snout filled with razor-sharp teeth. The snout opened and another deafening roar echoed through the stadium. The terrifying creature stomped into the open light. It was bigger than two X-Wing fighters, covered in brownish-green scales, and sported massive curling horns. Four powerful legs supported the beast, each tipped with huge claws. A horned tail beat the ground behind it. Its beady eyes searched the stadium and focused on the only other living thing in the bottom of the bowl—Arluin.

Arluin had heard of the legendary Krayt Dragons of Tatooine, and had hoped he would never have to see one. Now a living, breathing Dragon was eying him and perhaps wondering what he might taste like for lunch.

The nightmarish beast roared again and began plodding towards him. Arluin fired a few shots at it, but the lasers only seemed to enrage the Dragon even more. He holstered his blaster and hurriedly ran in the opposite direction. But there was no way out of the stadium—he was trapped between a wall and a Krayt Dragon.

The massive Dragon toppled the central pole in its eagerness to devour Arluin, knocking over the metal post without stopping. The pole smashed into the Duracrete floor with a loud crunch. Starting to panic now, Arluin quickly backed away and slammed into the metal wall of the bowl. He twisted around and tried to climb the wall in desperation. After a few seconds of slipping, his grasping hands found purchase in a nook in the wall and he began to hoist himself up. Behind him, the Dragon continued to plod forward with single-minded intent.

Arluin hauled himself up the wall as fast as he could. His muscles ached with the strain of lifting his own weight—but a ferocious roar from the rapidly approaching Dragon spurred him to go even faster. As he struggled to find his next handhold, he risked a look behind him and received a sight that almost gave him a heart attack. The Dragon's maw was wide open, mere feet away from him—he could smell the horrible stench of its breath, see the discoloration on every single bladelike tooth. Acting on instinct, Arluin hurled himself off the wall and away from the Dragon. His impact on the solid ground forced a loud cry from his lungs, but he felt more or less intact. The Dragon, on the other hand, could not stop its madness-induced momentum, and plowed into the wall where Arluin had been. Metal bent, crumpled, and tore apart under its massive bulk, and the monster decimated the barrier between rooms as it fell to the floor, its advance momentarily halted.

The young Jedi tried to stand, but his lower body screamed in protest where he had hit the hard ground, and he collapsed onto his back. Propping himself up on his elbows, he surveyed the fallen Dragon. As he watched, the huge beast shook its enormous, horned head and began to stand up, shoving sections of wall off of itself. Looking around, it reacquired Arluin, and opened its gaping maw in another earsplitting roar. As Arluin struggled to get back up, an idea formed itself inside his head.

The floor trembled as the Krayt Dragon began to charge back towards him. Doing his best to control his panic, Arluin whipped out his blaster pistol and aimed down its sight at the Dragon, but did not fire. Patiently he waited until his adversary began to open its jaws to devour him, then fired.

The blood-red bolt flew past the Dragon's teeth and struck the soft skin that coated the top of its mouth. Less then a second later, the bolt tore through the monster's brain, killing it instantly. Arluin saw its limbs go limp and forced himself into a roll as the gigantic body of the Krayt Dragon toppled forward, threatening to crush him. He cleared it just in time. The dead lizard crashed to the floor, sending massive tremors throughout the room and splintering the Duracrete beneath it in almost every place.

Arluin carefully stood, doing his best to ignore the pain in his legs and back. Holstering his pistol, he regarded the corpse of the Dragon. After waiting a moment to make sure the great beast was truly dead, the young Jedi began to limp off towards the newly created hole in the wall to find his friends.

* * *

><p>Baxter's massive fist came down hard on the Stormtrooper's helmet and knocked the Imperial soldier out cold, sending him to the floor in a messy sprawl. The large man dusted off his hands and looked down at his unconscious opponent. "That'll do ya," he stated simply.<p>

Joshua and Allia peered around the corner from which they had taken cover and stared at Baxter's handiwork.

"For such a big man, you can move awfully quiet," Allia remarked.

This elicited a shrug from Baxter. "Years o' smugglin' has its benefits," he said as he stripped the fallen guard of his rifle and tossed it to Joshua. The Rebel pilot caught the weapon and looked down the cold, gray prison hall.

"This can't be the only guard in this sector," he observed. "We need to keep moving."

"We should be careful, though," Allia put in. "We're in a maximum security prison; there's no telling what sort of security traps there are."

Baxter grunted. "Oh, please. We'll be fine." He began to advance with steadfast confidence and promptly stepped through an invisible laser tripwire. Sirens wailed and alarms began to flash, tingeing the colorless hall with scarlet. Baxter jumped back in surprise.

"That might have been me," he said, embarrassment evident in his voice. Allia groaned in dismay.

Joshua checked the power pack on his acquired rifle. "Get ready, everyone," he announced. "I have a feeling we're about to get very popular…"

* * *

><p>A squad of Stormtroopers rushed in the opposite direction that Reina and Merik where headed. The squealing alarms that had started up a minute ago were silenced by someone in the prison's control sector, filling the void with silence once more. The Shield of the Empire was currently experiencing a massive rush of adrenaline twisted with a strange, crippling fear, but kept her outward composition calm and collected. She observed her master, who kept moving without so much as a glance at her. When he finally spoke, it almost made her jump.<p>

"Are you ready to do what has to be done, Reina?" Merik asked in his smooth voice.

Reina nodded. "I have been preparing for this day. Arluin will be ours soon enough."

"I hope you are right, for your sake," Merik continued. "The Dark Side of the Force does not tolerate weakness. You know this."

"I do."

"Then do not hesitate. Show no mercy," the sharp old man commanded. "Control your fear and your anger. Follow my teachings, and today will be a day of victory."

Another voice, very different from Merik's, echoed in their heads.

"Your teachings will lead only to your doom, Merik."

Reina's blood ran cold at the recognition of that voice. She and Merik both halted immediately. Merik slowly turned around, wearing a sly grin on his face. "I wondered when you would show up."

The Shield of the Empire forced herself to turn around and face the newcomer as well. She watched as the hunched figure stepped out of the shadows and threw aside a ragged brown cloak, revealing chalk-white skin and big, all-knowing eyes.

"I felt you aboard Arluin's ship," Merik continued. "You didn't think you could hide your presence from me, did you?"

The being's eyes looked at her now, and they were filled with remorse.

"You had such potential, Reina." Pando Paian's deep, soft voice sounded in her mind again, heavy with sadness. "You still do. Leave this man before it is too late."

Before she could respond, Merik stepped toward the mottled Ithorian. "I think you will find that Reina's allegiance belongs solely to me now," he stated. "She proved herself to be above the weak and self-serving ways of the Jedi."

"As you once did when you betrayed us?" Paian shot back accusingly.

Merik smirked. "Are we really going to bring up ancient history, my old friend?"

Reina looked at Paian, at Merik, and back to Paian. "You two know each other?"

"Oh, we have since before you were born, my dear," Merik said, looking back at her. "You could even say we were the closest of allies." He returned his hardened gaze to Paian. "But certain events made it so we had to choose sides. I chose the right side, and Master Paian here chose the wrong side. It is simple as that."

"There is much you do not know, Reina," the old Jedi Master said, his aggravation growing. "Shall I educate you, or are you as unwilling to listen to me as you were before you betrayed your brother and I?"

That drove the final spike into Reina's heart. All her anger came gushing to the surface. "You have nothing to say that interests me, you old fool," she hissed. "Thanks to Admiral Merik, I have learned more than you ever would have taught me. It's high time you paid for treating me as an inferior."

Paian narrowed his eyes. "So be it. I trust you taught her everything you know, Aleksander?"

"Oh, yes," Merik said gleefully. "She has become powerful indeed."

"Then I will not be spared a challenge." Paian's voice was now overlaid by a rumble of righteous fury, and Reina felt the tiniest twinge of fear return to her bones. "Do you still have it?"

Merik flashed a chilling smile. "Of course." He shook his right arm, and a metal tube suddenly appeared in his hand. "What sort of Dark Jedi would I be without a lightsaber?"

The saber ignited in his hand with a loud _snap-hiss!_ In a blur of motion, faster than a man his age should be able to move, Merik whirled into an attack formation, lightsaber held high over his head. The orange light from his blade cast shadows on his face, darkening his already threatening visage. Reina echoed her master's movements and assumed an aggressive stance, drawing her viridian weapon and holding it out before her.

Paian removed his own saber from his belt and thumbed the ignition, bringing to life a brilliant golden beam. The blade hummed as he brought it close to his face in a defensive formation. "Then let us do battle," he stated with finality.

As one, Merik and Reina leapt at him. Less than a second later, the three were engaged in furious combat, Paian twirling and flexing to block both his adversary's blows. The old Jedi Master was moving more quickly than Reina ever suspected he could, defying his own age. Reina and Merik cornered him on both sides, and it appeared they had the advantage, but soon it became clear that they were not gaining any ground. Reina attempted a risky uppercut but was cast back by a quick Force push from Paian. The Shield of the Empire was sent flying down the cold metal hallway, away from the duel.

Paian returned his focus to Merik and narrowly parried a blow that would have cut him in half. Merik countered with a heavy strike that smashed into Paian's saber, sending sparks everywhere. The old Imperial held his blade down on Paian's, maintaining a standoff. In the light generated by the two blades sparking and clashing, Merik laughed coldly.

"I am surprised by your physique, Pando!" he said half-genuinely. "Your appearance betrays your strength."

"The Force is my strength," Paian replied with confidence. "It shall not fail me."

"Perhaps not," Merik retorted, "but your peripheral vision might!"

The Ithorian's eyes widened as he grasped Merik's meaning and he broke the deadlock, whirling around just in time to block a death blow from Reina, who had returned to the battle. Merik held back, observing his apprentice as she confronted her former master.

"You can't defeat us both," the Shield of the Empire taunted. "You'll die today!"

"We shall see, child," Paian replied steadfastly, "we shall see."

And with that, the battle was resumed, all three participants striking and swinging and flowing in a frantic dance of death, bathed in the combined glow of their swords. The whirs and crashes of the lightsabers striking each other created a chaotic rhythm that carried through the halls of Oovo IV.

Silently coordinating their battle strategy together, the two Dark Jedi moved as one into a new formation. Assaulting Paian from the front, they began to drive him back. The battle finally began to flow in the Imperials' favor. Doubt entered the aged Jedi Master's heart as he realized he was losing the fight. Casting it aside, he scanned desperately for a way to tip the odds in his favor amidst the constant parrying and striking. As Merik and Reina forced him further down the corridor, the duel moved out of the narrow halls and into a large, open chamber. The participants fought their way onto a skinny walkway spanning the length of the room. Paian spied his opportunity at once. Blocking an overhead strike from Reina, he lashed out with a low kick and knocked the young Dark Jedi's legs out from under her. Caught off guard at the sudden loss of balance, Reina toppled off the catwalk, falling towards another walkway far below. Using the Force to cushion her fall, she survived the impact undamaged and switched off her lightsaber. She looked back up to where Paian and Merik still fought. Desperate to return to the fight, she coiled her legs, preparing to jump. Springing up and kicking off the floor, Reina simultaneously called upon the Force to enhance her jump. She was carried higher than any normal being should have been able to jump, high enough that she could wrap her fingers around the edge of the walkway. As soon as she had established her grip, she pulled herself back onto the walkway and turned towards the dueling enemies, whose battle had drawn them further away. Paian had his back turned to her as he drove Merik down the walkway; it was clear that, on his own, the Dark Jedi was losing his advantage.

Relying on the Force once more to augment her abilities, Reina leapt at the Ithorian Jedi's exposed flank, her brilliant green blade flashing to life as she prepared to give the killing blow. But Paian was still too fast, and less than a second after he had sensed Reina's attack, had blocked it as well, immediately returning to counter Merik's following strike.

The battle continued and carried on down the corridor, with none of the combatants landing any strikes or doing significant damage. It had turned from a duel into a war of attrition, with both sides evenly matched. Merik and Reina struck quickly and viciously but could not penetrate the Ithorian's defenses. Paian lashed and swung and kicked, yet as he was outnumbered he could only do enough to keep himself from being cut down.

Finally the fighting broke for a moment. Paian remained on his guard, golden blade held close and horizontal in a defensive stance. Merik and Reina pointed their swords in his direction, indicating that they were still on the offensive. All three beings' chests heaved with panting breaths; they were wearing themselves out.

"We can't go on like this forever, Pando," Merik rasped. "Something has to change."

"And change it will," Paian responded. "Arluin is here. He will find me and together we will defeat you once and for all."

Merik barked a laugh. "One broken boy cannot make any difference!" Reina nodded her agreement.

Paian's eyes narrowed. "I have faith in him. It is that faith that will ensure our eventual victory." The Jedi Master's mind-voice was firm and determined. "We shall bring your tyranny crashing down upon its own head."

Merik glowered at the Ithorian, a sneer spreading across his lined face. "You may try," he stated, voice as cold and cutting as a shard of ice. "You may try."

The orange blade rose for another strike.

* * *

><p>11<p>

Elsewhere on Oovo IV, Arluin Starfire cautiously moved his way through the soulless halls of the prison. Though the alarms had long ceased to wail, his nerves were still on edge. Without the use of the Force, he had no idea where the enemy might come from. An entire battalion of Stormtroopers could be waiting on the other side of the next corner and he'd never know it until it was too late. On top of that, he had no clue where Joshua and Allia might have gone, and he was getting himself hopelessly lost.

A blaster bolt came out of nowhere and scarred the wall a few feet away from his head. Arluin spun in the direction the attack had come from and found himself staring at what looked like a Stormtrooper in onyx-black specialist armor. The Stormtrooper raised a long, deadly-looking rifle and shot again. Arluin dodged right and fired back, missing by inches.

A low voice hissed out of the Stormtrooper's helmet speakers. "Lady Reina sends her regards."

The mention of his sister hooked Arluin's attention, and he aimed again. Instead of counterattacking, the black-armored trooper turned tail and began running away. Arluin broke into a sprint and chased after him, determined not to let his attacker get away.

* * *

><p>As he pulled the sniper attachment off his DC-20, Archer looked over his shoulder to make sure his Jedi quarry had taken the bait. Sure enough, Lady Reina's brother was hot on his tail. The Commando smirked and focused his gaze ahead once more. Admiral Merik's plan was going exactly as he had wanted it to.<p>

* * *

><p>"How close are we?!" Joshua yelled over his shoulder as he backpedaled rapidly, firing his acquired blaster rifle wildly at the horde of Stormtroopers chasing them.<p>

Allia checked the datapad she'd picked up from the corpse of an Imperial guard. "Hangar's just around the next few turns!" she replied, forcing the words out between exhausted breaths. Her legs ached from running, but she knew if they stopped they'd be instantly killed.

Baxter led the charge to the hangar. "There'd better be something flyable there, boy, or I'll have yer head on a pike!" The large man came to a stop at a door that led to the next hallway. He thumbed the controls but nothing happened. "This door's locked!" he announced.

Allia moved in front of him, holding up her stolen datapad. "Cover me, I've got this!" As she began to open up a small panel underneath the door controls, Baxter unslung a long-barreled rifle he'd picked up and began unleashing crimson death upon the approaching Imperials. Joshua caught up with them and stood his ground as well, shooting blindly into the crowd of white. Neither man had to aim; wherever they pointed their laser fire, a Stormtrooper fell.

With near-expert skill, Allia pulled a wire out of the door control panel and hooked it up to the datapad. Deftly maneuvering through cluttered menus and commands on the device's interface, she accessed the door's lock sequence and quickly hacked it. The door sprung open with a hiss and she grinned fiercely.

"Maximum security my ass. Let's haul it, boys!"

She rushed through the doorway, Baxter and Joshua turning to follow. Just after passing through, Joshua spun and slammed the door control on their side. The door shut closed and locked again.

"That should hold them for a moment!" he shouted. The rebel pilot slung his rifle and ran off after his friends, hoping that he had bought enough time for them to make it to safety.

* * *

><p>Arluin's boots pounded the deck over and over as he pursued the black-armored Stormtrooper. The chase had wound through the metal halls of Oovo IV for almost ten minutes now and showed no signs of stopping. Whoever the Imperial was, he was exceptionally fit; he had gained some distance and would be out of sight when he turned the next corner. Arluin raised his pistol and fired, but his aim was too shaky as he ran, and the bolts missed the Stormtrooper by a mile. His target rounded the corner and was gone.<p>

Arluin bolted around the same corner and stopped, drawing his weapon once more. He scanned the passage before him through the pistol's sights, but the Stormtrooper had disappeared.

Carefully, Arluin put one foot in front of the other and began advancing down the plain gray corridor, still aiming down his blaster's sights. Slowly he moved his gaze from one wall to the other, looking for his adversary.

Yet, for all his caution, Arluin forgot to look up.

Archer dropped down from where he had lodged himself spread-eagled in the ceiling. The commando landed directly behind Arluin, and just as the young Jedi heard him hit the ground, gauntleted hands were wrapped around his eyes and mouth. Arluin's yell of shock was stifled by the Stormtrooper's grasp. His blaster slipped from his hand and clattered to the deck as he grabbed and pulled at the limbs binding him, but it was no use. His assailant was stronger than he was, and refused to let go. Arluin felt the Imperial's cold helmet press against the side of his head, and that steely voice rasped out of metallic speakers again, taunting him.

"I hope you're ready for the Admiral."

The hand holding his mouth released and drew back. Arluin got out one strangled cry before the Stormtrooper's gauntlet connected with the side of his head, sending him into the void of unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>The huge blast doors shutting off Oovo IV's southern hangar from the rest of the facility creaked and began to slide open. The moment there was enough space to slip through, a blue-skinned Twi'lek girl passed her way into the massive room and looked around. Allia was soon followed by Baxter and Joshua, the latter moving straight for the door controls in order to return the blast doors to their closed state.<p>

"All right, let's get off this blasted rock!" he exclaimed.

"That'll be a little difficult," Baxter's sullen voice announced.

"Huh?" Joshua turned around then and saw why his companion sounded so distraught.

The entire hangar was devoid of any kind of spacecraft.

"Hard to fly without something to fly in," Allia stated darkly. Joshua kicked a nearby oil drum in frustration. It hit the deck with a hollow clang.

The sound of the blast doors hissing open again caught Baxter's attention. "Oi, we've got trouble!" he yelled, drawing his long-barreled rifle as he turned. Joshua and Allia took notice as well, and took out their weapons.

Joshua spied a few large crates lying nearby and got an idea. "Take cover!" he shouted. "We'll give 'em a holdout they'll never forget!"

The trio scattered behind various crates and drums, aiming their blasters at the slowly widening doorway. Joshua did his best to ignore the sweat forming on his trigger finger and prepared to fight for his life.

* * *

><p>With the Jedi boy's unconscious form slung over his shoulder, Archer marched steadily towards Merik and Reina's location. His mission had been simple, and was just as simply accomplished: locate the Starfire male, disable him, and bring him to the Admiral. The first two steps of the plan had been completed without incident; all that was left was to track down Merik and deliver his quarry.<p>

While the Admiral hadn't been where he'd initially told Archer to meet him, finding him again wasn't difficult. All the commando had to do was follow the sound of lightsabers.

* * *

><p>Paian's broad feet pushed off the ground, launching him into a powerful spinning strike. The Ithorian cleaved his way between his adversaries, golden saber bouncing of blades of green and orange. His legs coiled upon landing, absorbing his momentum. The Jedi Master swept his weapon low at Merik's legs, who deflected the attack and brought his own blade around like a corkscrew to strike at Paian's neck. Paian jumped again, using his collected momentum, and threw an attack at Reina, who ducked just in time.<p>

Paian hit the ground and spun into a defensive stance, but did not attack. He stood there, glaring at his opponents from beyond the golden glow of his lightsaber. It soon became apparent that all three combatants were once again catching their breath.

Merik was losing patience. "Your skills are as good as ever, my old friend," he said between breaths. "But you must know you cannot last forever."

"Neither can you." Paian had not lost confidence. "We are old. The days of our youth are far behind us. We cannot duel as we once did."

A ragged laugh was ushered from the Admiral's throat. "Too true. That is why my descendant is here." He motioned to Reina, who tightened her grip on her saber, still ready for combat.

Paian's eyes narrowed to slits. "Reina shall not be your descendant. The Starfires are the future of the Jedi Order."

Merik chuckled with more strength now. "Also true. They shall be the Jedi Order's legacy…a legacy that shakes off corruption and decay, and becomes something greater than it once was." He made a grand gesture with his blade. "I shall teach them of that legacy. The Starfires shall rise above the old Jedi Order, above us, and even above the Empire itself. From them, a New Order will be birthed, and it will be everything the Jedi Order was not."

The Admiral clenched his left hand into a tight fist and brought it up to his chest. "Power, control, and personal gain; these shall be the values that the New Order teaches. There will be no lying, no manipulation, nothing that the old Jedi Masters did to us; this Order will be stronger. It will stand!"

"This is what you have fooled yourself into believing?" Paian interjected, his voice heavy. "An Order based upon selfishness will never last." He slowly turned his head to look at Reina. "You truly follow his beliefs, child?"

In a moment's hesitation, Reina looked from Paian to Merik and back to Paian. Then she reasserted herself and nodded sternly. "I do. The Admiral's vision will guide us into a better future."

Paian said nothing. To Reina, this spoke volumes more than if he had made a statement.

The silence was interrupted by the clank of heavy footfalls on the metal deck. All three duelists turned to view the newcomer.

With one arm, Archer hurled Arluin's still-unconscious form to the floor. The young man did not wake.

The commando's deep voice rasped out from his helmet. "I brought him unharmed as directed."

"You have performed admirably, Archer," Merik commended with a small smile. "You shall be rewarded."

Archer looked from Merik to Paian, who still retained his defensive stance, and slowly moved his hand towards his weapon. "Need help with this, sir?"

"No, soldier," the Admiral responded. "This matter is a personal one."

The dark-armored trooper gave a curt nod and left as quickly as he'd come. On the floor, Arluin began to stir. Merik noticed and turned his gaze to Reina.

"Look, my child," he said. "Your brother awakens."

Reina was already all to aware of this. Her stare was focused on Arluin, and already signs of nervousness were becoming apparent. Sweat drops beaded on her brow, and she swallowed heavily. Her once determined stance began to waver slightly.

As he got to his feet, Arluin was unfocused and weary, but once he realized Reina was in the room, his eyes snapped open. His mouth worked, but no words came out.

"Reina," he finally sputtered.

Reina's green eyes were now wide as marbles and swirled with a volatile mix of emotions; she had not been as ready for this encounter as she had thought. The tip of her lightsaber sunk towards the ground slightly. Confusion, anger, hatred and fear nearly overwhelmed her and, for a split second, Arluin swore he saw a flicker of his sister in those eyes.

Paian leaned toward her. "We spoke about this, Reina," he muttered softly. "Show no weakness."

Hearing those words, the young woman was thrust back into reality. Reina Starfire disappeared, replaced by the cold, calculating, and cruel Shield of the Empire. Her blade snapped back up and was pointed at Arluin.

"It's been so long, brother," she said, a definite edge in her voice. "I wish I could say it's good to see you again, but…"

Her words, the first she'd spoken to him since her betrayal, cut Arluin more than a lightsaber could. "I don't…." He then looked past Reina and Merik and saw the fourth being in the room. "Master Paian!"

"Arluin." The Ithorian's voice was full of remorse.

Arluin looked around at the three individuals in confusion. "What's going on here? How did you get here, Master?"

Merik spoke up, his words cutting the air like a hot knife. "What's going on here is destiny, child. This will be where you decide your fate."

"My fate?" At last, Arluin understood. His gaze focused. "I see. You're going to try to get me to join you again, aren't you?"

"This time, you deserve to hear the full extent of my plans," Merik replied. "We were a little rushed at our last meeting. Luring you here with false visions was difficult, but it has paid off. Now you will have plenty of time to understand and make your choice."

"They will lie and tempt, my apprentice," Paian put in. "Do not listen to them."

"We've all had enough of your stifling delusions, Pando," Merik interjected. "Now please be silent and let the boy think for himself."

The Admiral turned his attention to Arluin then. "Arluin, what I offer is simply logical. A better chance at a safer future."

Arluin arched an eyebrow but remained cautious. "You have my attention."

Merik continued. "Imagine a future without fighting. Without crime. Without lies. Without betrayal. A future of peace. And leading the way into this future, protecting its integrity, is a New Jedi Order. Comprised of beings who are united in pursuit of personal power, there will be no secrets, no tricks, only justice, dealt swiftly and meaningfully." He swept his hand in a broad gesture. "Gone will be the ways of the past. Deceit and injustice will become mere memories. The galaxy will be ruled with perfection, and we shall finally have peace!"

Arluin crossed his arms. "You talk of a future without fighting and betrayal, but that's exactly what you're using to get it."

Merik shrugged. "In the pursuit of such a monumental goal, sacrifices must be made. I am at peace with this; I will not see my perfect future. I do not belong in it. I know these things. But what I can do," he went on, "is ensure it will happen someday. You and your sister will, with my teaching, bring about what is best for the galaxy; but only if you listen to me." The Admiral stretched out his empty hand toward Arluin. "Join us, I beg you! Your sister knows this is right."

Arluin glanced at Reina. His sister showed no emotion except her constant guard.

"The Shield of the Empire is more than a title," the Admiral continued. "From my teachings, Reina is learning to become an unstoppable force of order and protection. Someday she will tower over even the Emperor. Don't you wish to be at her side?"

Arluin said nothing, merely continuing to lock eyes with Reina. Both twins betrayed no evidence of their feelings. Finally, Arluin broke the contact and began to walk forward. Merik grinned, thinking he had finally won the young man over, but his smile faded as Arluin strode past him to stand next to Paian. Arluin planted his feet firmly on the deck in a stoic form.

"Lies and betrayal will never amount to anything other than more lies and betrayal," he stated solidly. "I know in my heart that that is true." His hand balled into fists. "I will not join you. I will become a Jedi, like my parents and my master before me." He glanced slightly at Paian. "That is my choice, and I will take it, wherever it leads me." Arluin felt a rush of pride and gratitude come from the old Ithorian, and instantly he knew he'd made the decision that was true to his own heart.

Merik's visage darkened. "So be it. Luckily, I do not need both Starfires to succeed in my plans." He raised his saber, preparing to strike the defenseless Arluin down.

In a flash, Paian was there, his golden blade intercepting Merik's and deflecting the blow aside.

"You have claimed many lives, Merik, but Arluin's shall not be among them!" Paian's mind-voice boomed in their heads. "You shall never have him!"

The Admiral glared at his opponent in fury. Reina began to move, but he thrust his arm out, halting her. A devious gleam came into his eye, and he stared past Paian at Arluin. "You speak of your parents, boy," he spat, "but you don't know what happened to them, do you? If you knew the truth, your choice would have been different."

The mention of his parents caught Arluin's attention. Reina perked up as well. "What do you mean, Master?" The Dark Jedi woman asked.

A toothy grin split Merik's face. "So you never told them, Pando? I expected more of such an honest Ithorian! But keeping secrets is the Jedi way, is it not?"

Paian's eyes narrowed again. "Be silent, traitor! Keep your infectious words to yourself!"

Arluin stepped forward. "He told me!" he shouted at Merik. "He told me you killed them! I do know the truth!"

Reina's hardened face shattered for a second as she looked at Merik in confusion and alarm, but the Admiral's eyes blazed with triumph. "Wrong!" the old man bellowed. "I did not kill your parents. Crale and Alena Starfire were murdered…" he lifted a bony finger and pointed it straight at the Jedi Master, "…by Pando Paian!"

* * *

><p>The room was silent. Shock filled the air so much that it was nearly tangible.<p>

Arluin stared at his master, eyes wide. When Paian turned to face him, he staggered backward, away from the Ithorian.

"Is it true?" Arluin asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Paian's eyes were brimming with sorrow. Arluin already knew the answer to his question. He shook his head in denial. "You…lied to me?"

Paian tried to speak. "There is so much you do not know, Arluin—"

"MONSTER!" Reina's shriek pierced the air. Her lightsaber hummed as she leapt at Paian, who barely brought his weapon up in time. However, caught off guard, tired, and up against the unbridled fury of Reina Starfire's wrath, the old Jedi Master did not stand a chance. Reina's green blade sliced past Paian's and neatly severed the Ithorian's hands. As his lightsaber shut off and clattered to the floor, Paian's four battle-torn throats opened up in a primal cry of pain. Vocal chords that had not been used in many years vibrated in an echoing scream that threatened to shatter the eardrums of everyone else in the room.

As Paian's cry subsided, the Ithorian collapsed to his knees. Reina brought her blade up for the execution, but Merik stepped forward, sheathing his saber. "Wait, my apprentice," he said calmly, a triumphant smile spread across his face. "I wish to have a final word with my old friend."

The Admiral knelt in front of Paian and put his face very close to the Jedi Master's. "I gave you many chances, Pando," he said softly. "Long ago, and today. But you never listened. You refused to make the right choice. Now you shall pay the price." He stood back up and promptly thrust an open hand into the air before him.

Paian was lifted off the ground by the Merik's Force grip, choking and sputtering. The cauterized stumps where his hands had been attempted to claw at his throat, to no avail. Arluin and Reina merely stood back and watched.

"There is a risk to depending on the Force for life, Pando," Merik stated over the sound of Paian's choking. "Did you ever stop to think of what would happen if you were severed from it?"

With that, he slashed through the air with his other hand and pushed back with the first. Paian was tossed backwards and hit the deck next to Arluin with a heavy thud. Arluin surveyed what was left of his master with dismay. Paian was breathing raggedly through throats that were almost too damaged to use; and that was when Arluin became even more afraid. He had never seen Paian breathe in his life—the Ithorian had always relied on the Force to sustain him. Arluin looked back up at Merik.

"What did you do to him?!" he shouted.

Merik lowered his arms. "I have cut him off from his connection to the Force," he answered calmly. "It is an old trick I learned from the Jedi, not one commonly used." He gestured to Paian. "You see now what happens to beings who make bad choices. I will ask you once more; will you join us, Arluin?" His ice blue eyes pierced Arluin to his core, seeking an answer.

Instead of responding to Merik, though, Arluin looked at his sister. Reina stared back, not bothering to hide her emotions. Arluin reflected over all he had been through, all that had happened to him, and all that had happened to Reina. Once more, he shook his head.

"No." He straightened in defiance, grounding himself against Merik and Reina in his choice. "There are lies being told here, I know it. I don't know the whole truth, so I will go off what I do know." His resolve solidified even further. "Merik, you operate on lies, cruelty, and malice." He turned his fiery gaze on Reina. "Reina, you've chosen to follow that path as well. That is a path I will _never_ choose."

The turmoil inside Arluin solidified into new resolve, and the floodgates opened. Power poured into him as the Force reconnected with him. He held out his hand towards Paian's fallen lightsaber and, feeling the Force responding to him, called it to his open palm. The silver tube flew through the air and he caught it, igniting the golden blade. "Even though the future is clouded and confused, I still hold the right to decide my own life." He whirled the saber and assumed a defensive stance. "You cannot take that away from me!"

Merik snarled, his victory once again snatched out of his reach. "Arrogant fool!" he shouted. "You will learn the price of your actions!"

In an impulsive act of anger, Reina hurled her saber at her brother. Arluin lifted Paian's blade and sliced through the hilt of his sister's weapon, destroying it. Gathering his strength, he thrust his hand out in a massive Force push. The two Dark Jedi were sent sprawling far down the corridor. Before they'd hit the ground, Arluin sheathed the saber and scooped up Paian, slinging the weakened Ithorian across his shoulders. The ancient being was very light, and so Arluin was able to sprint down the hall as fast as his legs could carry the two of them.

* * *

><p>Reina jumped to her feet, but Arluin was already gone. She looked at Merik, who was slowly recovering from the surprise attack. "Shall I pursue him, Master?"<p>

The Admiral did not look at her, but instead, his eyes gazed the way Arluin had gone. A frown creased his lined face. "No." he stated simply. "He will be back again one day, and then…" he clenched his hand into a tight fist. "Then we shall finish this, once and for all."

* * *

><p>12<p>

Joshua slammed his last power pack into his blaster and aimed up over the barrel he was using for cover, only to immediately duck again as a bolt from an Imperial weapon seared the air above him. He cursed silently to himself and shot a glance over at Allia and Baxter. The sight of his friends standing vigilantly against the enemy galvanized him to keep going, and he aimed again and fired.

The standoff against the Stormtroopers had turned the hangar into a mess. Carbon scoring now decorated every surface, evidence of how long the three Rebels had been holding their own.

A bellowing roar from Baxter reverberated off the walls as the big man unleashed a storm of death from his long rifle. Three Stormtroopers dropped to the floor, dead as dust. _Say what you want about Baxter,_ Joshua thought, _but the man knows how to shoot._

Joshua's attention was caught by a cry from Allia as the Twi'lek girl caught a blaster bolt in the shoulder and collapsed to her knees. Panic flooded Joshua. "Allia! Are you okay?!" he yelled.

The blue-skinned girl met his gaze and nodded, determination still in her eyes. Joshua calmed a bit as she returned to combat, but worry still nagged at him. _We aren't going to last much longer like this…_

* * *

><p>Arluin stumbled through the empty corridors of the prison, shifting Paian's weight on his back slightly. He was sure that his master had passed out. Wondering how much time was left before Paian left the world of the living urged Arluin to move faster, though he didn't know where he was going.<p>

He had no way of contacting Joshua or the others. Savior was likewise out of his reach. But there had to be something…

Suddenly he remembered, and knew exactly what to do. Spinning on his heel, full of new determination, Arluin headed in the direction of where he had last seen _Hadwin's Fate._

* * *

><p>Three, two, one, <em>click.<em>

Joshua's blaster ran empty, and the young pilot tossed it to the floor in frustration and despair. He'd never wanted to die like this. He always thought he'd go a bit more valiantly than being overrun by sheer masses of Stormtroopers.

Crouching behind his drum, he looked over again at Allia. While Baxter was screaming incoherently and firing blaster bolts everywhere, Allia had reduced herself to a squat behind her cover; her weapon had been drained as well. He caught her eye, but said nothing; their gazes spoke volumes to each other. A single tear streaked down Allia's cerulean cheek, and she smiled weakly. Joshua returned it. _My life wasn't so bad. At least I got to kiss her._

The moment was interrupted by a rumbling noise that was steadily increasing in volume. The crossfire ceased as both Rebel and Imperial combatants looked around, trying to find the source of the noise.

Joshua looked up just in time to see an odd, boxy ship blast into the hangar. It hovered just a few feet above the deck, repulsorlifts on full power. One long wing stuck out from its starboard side, sporting a mounted cannon that hosed the Stormtroopers down with laser fire. As Joshua tried to determine who the unknown craft belonged to, a hatch on the port side slid open, revealing a familiar astromech droid.

"Savior!" Joshua yelled in surprise and relief. The battered droid whistled sharply to the rebels, who hurried from their cover and ran for the safety of the ship. Baxter was the last to scramble inside, and he slammed the hatch closed behind him. Savior had already rolled back to the cockpit. The three rebels joined her, gazing out of the viewport. The hangar began to shrink as they pulled out of the hangar, and then gray metal was replaced by the vastness of starry space as they turned away from Oovo and blasted off into the darkness.

"You look like you've been through hell, Savior." Allia collapsed into a chair as Savior began to let out a long stream of whistles, beeps, and whirrs.

Joshua nodded, understanding. "So this is Arluin's ship now. But where is he?"

Savior spun her dome and whistled louder. Joshua's brow furrowed. "He's still back there?! We have to go get him!"

"He saved our lives, we can't just leave him behind!" Allia agreed, but Savior cut in with a string of whoops and clicks. The Twi'lek sat up slightly. "You got a message from Ecksfive telling you to go get help?" Savior's dome spun again in an affirmative.

"What help could a little droid like you possibly find?" Baxter questioned. As Savior answered, his eyes widened. "Oh. _Oh._"

"Well, let's hope this actually works out," Joshua said nervously. "We're risking a lot. If it goes wrong, we're all finished."

* * *

><p>Arluin's boots pounded up the boarding ramp of <em>Hadwin's Fate.<em> As he stormed through the main hold, he ran past the sleeping Ecksfive.

"Ecksfive, start the ship up and get us the hell out of here!" he yelled, and bolted into the medbay. The battered droid woke with a start, quickly processed the order, and hastily rolled towards the bridge.

With extra care, Arluin laid the unconscious Pando Paian on the _Fate's _medical table. Looking over to the nearby medical equipment, he grabbed a life support system and connected it to the Jedi Master. Paian's breathing steadied; but only slightly. Worry seized Arluin's mind, followed by terror that he would lose his Master. Those thoughts were dismissed as he felt the rumble of the _Fate's_ engines igniting. Leaving the wounded Ithorian, he hurried to the bridge and took his place next to Ecksfive. The astromech already had them plotted on a course away from Oovo IV.

"Where are we headed, Ecksfive?" Arluin asked. Hearing the droid's musical response made him miss Savior for an instant, but he shook out of it and focused. "All right, let's rendezvous with Savior and the others then." _I just hope we make it out of here alive._

A loud pinging from the ship's scanner grabbed Arluin's attention. "The _Ebony Jewel_ is close to us!" Tapping a control, he opened a communications link to the other ship. "_Ebony Jewel, _this is _Hadwin's Fate._ Do you copy?"

Static buzzed for a moment, and then Joshua's voice was heard. "_Jewel_ here. Great to hear from you, Arluin. Are you all okay?"

"Ecksfive and I are fine, but Master Paian's been hurt," Arluin replied, his voice heavy with concern. "He needs help. What's the plan?"

Savior's warbling managed to make it into the transmission, causing Arluin to grin at the sound of his faithful companion. Allia took control of the comm. "Savior says help is on the way. Just hang in there."

"Did she mention what kind of help?"

"You'll see. They should be here right….about…now."

The Mon Calamari cruiser _Endless Depth_ exploded into view before Arluin as it tore out of hyperspace, filling the _Fate's_ viewport. Arluin stared, openmouthed. "My Savior, you do not disappoint," he muttered.

The comm crackled again, this time filling the bridge with a familiar, stoic voice. "_Endless Depth_ here, General Viktor speaking. A little droid told us you needed some assistance.

Arluin leaned toward the comm. "Your words are music to my ears, General!" He heard Joshua whooping from the _Jewel's _comm and grinned again. "Permission to board?"

"Granted, and do it quickly," Viktor replied. "The Empire will not give us much time." The comm switched off and was silent.

Arluin settled back in his chair as Ecksfive took the _Fate _in, exhaling a breath he hadn't even known he was holding. His relief faded somewhat as he recalled the dying Jedi Master in the medbay. _The medical crew aboard the _Endless Depth_ can save him. They have to._ The events at Oovo IV replayed in his mind's eye._ I still have questions that need answering._

* * *

><p>Joshua, Allia, and Baxter didn't get a chance to greet Arluin before the young Jedi reunited with Savior and hauled Paian off to the <em>Depth's<em> medbay. Still, some joy was to be had in the cruiser's hangar as Allia flung her arms around Ecksfive's aging chassis.

"I missed you, you old lunk!" she said affectionately. The astromech hooted back begrudgingly, but with no less happiness.

As the embrace was broken, Joshua and Allia's eyes went to Baxter, who was sitting on a nearby crate. The big man noticed the sudden attention he was getting, and raised an eyebrow. "What?" he inquired sharply.

"You fought pretty well down there, Baxter," Allia said genuinely. Joshua nodded in agreement.

"The Rebel Alliance could use someone like you," he stated.

Baxter's eyes widened. "Wait—you don't want me to—" he stammered. Both of the Rebels gazed at him expectantly until his resolve finally broke. "Oh, all right, fine!" he cried with a sigh. "I'll join your damn fool crusade. But it'll get me killed, I know it!"

Joshua finally let loose his grin, which splayed across his face. "Thank you, Baxter. It means a lot."

"I'll go get settled in, then," Baxter replied, defeated. He stomped off to find the crew quarters. Ecksfive beeped and rolled after him. As the pair left the hangar, Baxter's boisterous laugh echoed through the room as the two old friends became more reacquainted.

Now alone with each other, Joshua and Allia finally slipped into each other's arms and shared a passionate kiss. As they broke apart, they stared into one another's eyes.

"You didn't do so bad yourself, flyboy," Allia said mockingly.

Joshua flashed a handsome winning smile. "Likewise."

Allia turned her gaze towards the direction of the medbay. "Do you think Arluin is all right?"

Joshua frowned slightly. "I don't know. He's been through a lot lately. It might be best to give him some space."

"He and Reina…I don't even know what could have gone on down there," Allia said sadly.

"All I know is that this is far from over," Joshua concluded. "I think the worst is still yet to come."

* * *

><p>Arluin moved his eyes over Paian's pale and twisted frame, wondering how much longer his Master would last. The medical crew had done their best, but nothing seemed able to save the Ithorian. All that was left was time.<p>

Suddenly, Paian's eyes slowly opened and looked around. Arluin hurried to his side. "Master, are you all right?" he inquired.

Paian struggled to work his four injured throats. Finally, he forced out a sentence.

"I am dying."

The reality of it finally struck Arluin, and tears welled up in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Master…the medics tried everything they could think of—"

"They could never have helped me now." The ancient Jedi's voice sounded exactly like it had in Arluin's head, only more ragged and scratchy. "My body is withered and aged. Without the Force, I cannot sustain myself." A single, visceral cough tore though Paian's body. "It is time for me to join the Force."

Arluin fought past the lump in his throat and continued. "But you can't die, Master! There's still so much I need to know!"

"I am so sorry, my apprentice," Paian confessed. He tried to lift a stumped arm towards Arluin, but couldn't gather the energy. "I hid too much to try and protect you. I meant to tell you eventually…about your parents, about your sister…about Merik…but things did not go the way I planned…"

"Tell me what?!" Arluin was nearly frantic.

"I…did…not…"

Paian went limp.

Arluin stared for a very long moment.

_I did not…_

_Did not what?_

_Master, what didn't you tell me?_

_Why didn't you tell me?_

Suddenly very alone, Arluin bowed his head over his dead Master and cried for a long, long time.

* * *

><p>Deep within the holding cells of the Star Destroyer <em>Executioner<em>, Barret Hadwin lay on the cold, gray deck. Time was lost to him. There was no clock, no sunrise, to tell him how long he had been in the cell. His body was bruised, cut, burned, and shocked in almost every possible location.

But he did not give up hope.

For somewhere out there, his friends were fighting on, and he knew that one day they'd find him and deliver him from his hellhole. He wouldn't let them down by dying on them.

And so he kept going, through agony and starvation and all kinds of torture, waiting for the day he'd see light once more.

* * *

><p>Aboard the expansive bridge of the <em>Executioner,<em> Merik, Reina, and Captain Forer looked down upon a massive Imperial orbital shipyard. From the shipyard, an enormous slab of dark gray metal arose into space, bristling with guns and control towers. Its massive engines propelled the death machine forward and away from the cradle that it had lain in for months, slowly being repaired and improved. A fleet of lesser Star Destroyers gathered around it in a protective formation. This combination was sure to crush any opposition beneath its crusade of destruction.

Merik felt an all-encompassing power flow through him as he watched the space station Devastator be born again. At his side, Reina basked in that power, utterly confident in her position now. The Shield of the Empire had never felt more certain, more powerful, more alive. As the two Dark Jedi, Master and Apprentice gazed down upon the war machine they had wrought, they also looked toward the future they would create; a future ruled by order, peace…and the Dark Side of the Force.

* * *

><p>Far away from the Imperial event, on a beautiful, unnamed grassland planet, a gathering of a different sort was taking place. <em>Hadwin's Fate<em> rested softly on an open plain, and nearby, a bonfire had been constructed. Joshua, Allia, Baxter, Ecksfive, and Savior looked on as Arluin placed Paian's broken body on top of the wood stack, said his final goodbyes, and ignited the fire. Smoke rose into the nighttime air as Paian was cremated, his body disintegrating, his soul becoming one with the Force. The bright fire illuminated Arluin's tear-stained face, and cast a long shadow behind him. Joshua's hand slipped into Allia's as they watched, no warbling came from Ecksfive, and even Baxter held his silence out of respect for the dead. Silently, Savior rolled up to Arluin's side and nudged him. The young Jedi looked down and smiled in a tired way, patting the battered droid on her dome. He looked back at his friends, who all watched him with mixed sorrow and anticipation. At last, Arluin spoke.

"We're going to get Barret back."

Joshua hugged Allia close to him, and the Twi'lek buried her face in his chest. Baxter heaved a sigh.

"I don't think we can do that," he stated plainly.

There was a fire in Arluin's eyes, one that hadn't been there in a long time. "We can, and we will. I know it." He turned back towards the blazing bonfire. "I stand for what I feel is good and just," he continued, "not for what an ancient order or a tyrant decides is right. I will become a Jedi, but not for someone else's hopes and dreams." He clenched his hand into a tight fist. "I will become a Jedi to protect and fight for the people I love. _That_ is what I choose."

Arluin turned his gaze upwards. The beautiful night sky was filled with stars. _Master Paian, I will discover the truth. I will make things right. This I promise._ He rested his hand on Paian's lightsaber hanging from his belt, feeling the Force flowing through him once more. Hope was there, shining down from the stars, flickering in the light of the fire. The future was still very uncertain, but not impossible.

THE END


End file.
